Cravings

By Carrie R. Hinton: My daughter has beautiful teeth. Tiny freshwater pearls, lacking the sharpness and staining of age. Sometimes I think she looks like a PEZ dispenser with her big head and candy teeth, the way they trickle out of her piece by piece, each replaced slowly but surely by an adult’s clunky molar or a wicked canine. … Continue readingCravings

The Werewolf Story

By Greg Beatty: “Read it again, papa!” the little girl cried. “Again?” her father said. But he was smiling. He opened the very worn, very faded children’s book, and began—again. Truthfully, though, he barely glanced at the pages. He could have retold the story without the book at all, if his daughter hadn’t loved the pictures so much. … Continue readingThe Werewolf Story

Residue

By LM Therrien: You’re in the mood for a movie on your new TV. Packaging is everywhere but the ultra precision color screen begs for that heartfelt drama—We Blitz On Sundays, perfect. It washes the room in images. Two hours pass, but all that close up cheering draws your eye to the smudges along the bottom. You wipe them off with bulk-sized cleaner. … Continue readingResidue

Before

By Warren Benedetto: This is the safe space, inside, before my passage into the unknown After. The rush of Mother’s blood and breath soothes me as I drift weightlessly in her womb. When I stretch, I feel the pressure of her hands caressing me, letting me know she is there for me, holding me, protecting me. … Continue readingBefore