by Robert Crowl

“Dad’s presence had dwindled since the start of Junior year. Mama drank more and more to compensate as if she thought it could join them by way of ritual.”

by Rob Schwartz

“It was nice to be out of my suit. I'm not sure I'll wear it again. Until my own funeral.”

by Scarlett Davis

“Not all love stories are equally yoked. Mine at the moment is icing my knees in a quiet, man-free apartment next to my pets watching my favorite TV show and remembering to cherish it all.”

by Ron Smith

“Unless some wayward varmint burrows into the well and dies, which happened four or five times, you know the water’s fouled when you step into the shower and it hits you in the face.”

by Seth Frame

“The stone crawled with figures. Lizards multiplied across the surface, their bodies carved in profile, legs splayed as if frozen mid-climb. Human shapes emerged with raised arms—dancing, praying, I couldn't say which. Lines and circles tangled across the wall in patterns that might have been maps or stories or prayers or all three at once.”