by Jeff Bakkensen We split her up by dropping names into a hat. I got both arms, Paul a leg, Ryan the head, Matt the other leg, and Drew the coveted torso.

by Don Foster With little time before his kids start fisticuffing one another, before his wife dumps the weekend itinerary on him, Kirby rolls himself out of bed this Saturday to work on his spiritual overhaul.

by Alan Swyer When he first came to LA and had not yet established much of a social life, Shulman’s evenings, more often than not, were spent in pursuit of old movies.

by Bob Beach The first dayshine spilled hurryish over Miz Pennypacker’s tarpaper roof and splashed the front yard like a stream of melty butter.

by Justin Carmickle Yolanda had dragged Ian through eight states by the time he was thirteen. After Ian came out her fourth husband’s fists sent Ian fleeing. He’d gone up north to the gay father he’d never known.

by Laura Grace Weldon The weary face behind her in the bathroom mirror startled Lia. Her mother usually slept in after a late shift at the bowling alley.

by Douglas J. Ogurek RAI—that’s short for Romanowski Architects, Inc.—had a lot of asses, but the biggest ass was Dorkwimp Buttkisser.

by Tom Sheehan Hardly with a hop, skip and jump did Frank Parkinson come home from Tobruk, Egypt, North Africa, madness, and World War II in general.

by Mitchell Grabois This is not a job I ever expected to have, but I couldn’t keep farming, not enough land, machines too old.

by Mary Ann McGuigan My mother had convinced herself—and us—that the landlord would never go through with it.

by Horacio Quiroga Her honeymoon, when it came, induced in her the seed of dread.

by Russell Hemmell Ca’ Dario stands in front of us, sombre, sleek and precious, often avoided and always dreaded.

by Samuel Cole I touch his shoulder, wishing to touch everything else. Now. Here. Out in the open.