April, 2014

Plastic Flamingo by Nicole Diaz

“I don’t love you anymore.”
Like that, he’s gone.
Packed up the rest of his boxes,
His annoying wind chime, and that old plastic flamingo.

Nicole Diaz is a carefree spirit who often runs on 3 hour sleep and has a heavy coffee addiction. She is a high school student who enjoys writing short fiction, and hopes one day to become a well-known author. She can be contacted at nicoleediazz@yahoo.com.

No More Film by Camille Cooley

She was supposed to be a star.
“Smile,” they told her.
So she did.
And the cameras went off
Even when there weren’t any.

Camille Cooley is a high school senior who has spent the majority of her incredibly ordinary life in Southern California where she juggles her nonexistent social life, with her writing and dogs. She has been published in various forums and is currently trying to make more friends. She can be contacted at cooleycamille@gmail.com.

Winter Bouquet by Dr Pranav Kodial

Snowfall outside. Silence inside the Church.

The bride enters. Everyone’s eyes well up.

Trembling, she walks up, clutching her bouquet.

Then they open the coffin.

Dr Pranav Kodial is an ophthalmologist in private practice in Dahanu, India. His interests include writing short and long stories, haiku and other poetry, reading and dramatics.

To Buy or Not to Buy by Bruce Harris

“I mean, it was like, how do I say, theeee most ridiculous question on earth. Hello? Like it was Bloomingdales. During their spring sale, okay?”

Bruce Harris enjoys relaxing with a Marxman.

Big Money by Tyrean Martinson

When the terrorists shot down Big Money, she was hiking up her Franklin skirt to show off her thighs. She died alone under flickering streetlights.

Tyrean Martinson had to rifle through her daughters’ nail polish to find Big Money and Classic Coral, but she’s thankful she did. Tyrean has also written Champion In the Darkness, a fantasy novel, and other short stories and poetry. You can find her online at Tyrean’s Writing Spot.

Dangerous (red) by Erin Cole

The surgeon pumped her heart, a methodic kneading.
The family crowded the waiting room, asked the nurse, “Is she alive?”
The surgeon replied, “Yes, technically.”

Erin Cole is a dark fiction writer from Portland OR. In her spare time, she turns the clocks backward and claims that she has all the time in the world. For what, she is still deciding. http://www.erincolewrites.com

Three pieces by Krystyna Fedosejevs

Cherries in the Snow

Fresh snow. Light. Pure white.
Settles in fluffy mounds.
I dip a finger, taste sweetness.
Pluck maraschino cherries from surface.
Lemon Snow–a perfect dessert.

Stormy

She says she loves him. They argue. He leaves. She dashes after him.
They head for a beach. Embrace waves, each other. Quarrel. Ocean retreats.

Evergreen

Evergreen hills meet aqua waters of a sheltered bay. Sunrays separate branches,
touch canoe as a couple paddles. Her eyes, forever green, reflect in his.

Krystyna Fedosejevs writes and publishes poetry, flash fiction and short stories.
She lives in Edmonton, Canada; loves to travel the world and share her experiences through writing.

Two pieces by Zella Christensen

Black Out

As a boy, he woke up from nightmares and couldn’t turn the lights on. He heard monsters breathing nearby, loving his fear. He’s still afraid.

Rich in Heart

They cut it from deer’s corpse and handed it to the girl. She took it home without gloves, carrying it for miles through the snow.

Zella Christensen writes fiction and poetry and paints her nails in a variety of colors, all of which, to the undiscerning, resemble black. Her work is forthcoming in Strange Horizons.

Chrome by Ron Riekki

Four bodies were in the car, but only three heads.
Lieutenant told me, “Find the fourth one.”
With a flashlight, I headed into the woods.

Ron Riekki’s books include U.P. and The Way North: Collected Upper Peninsula New Works (Wayne State University Press, a 2014 Michigan Notable Book, http://wsupress.wayne.edu/books/detail/way-north).

Pool Party by Dan Slaten

Summer ends with a splash. Literally. Their eyes meet. They move forward, drawn together like magnets, but someone pushes him from behind into the pool.

Dan Slaten writes short stories and poetry in small notebooks and on sticky notes. Some of this work has been published in 7×20, Belle Reve Literary Journal, Leaves of Ink, andScifaikuest.

The Lace is On by RDY

The candles are pools, their liquid whiteness threatening the mahogany.
I swear I’ll never trust you again.

The stairs creak.
It’s worth it every time.

RD Younger is just getting started.

Two pieces by Madeline Mora-Summonte

A Butterfly Moment

Rosie follows the butterfly off the playground.

The man follows Rosie.

Bushes shiver, then hush.

Wings flit, flutter.

The butterfly is gone.

So is Rosie.

Violet Flicker

He holds out the bouquet, but he can’t reach across the chasm he created.

The flowers match the color of the bruises staining her skin.

Madeline Mora-Summonte reads, writes and breathes fiction in all its forms. She is the author of The People We Used to Be: A Flash Fiction Collection .