When the sun goes down, my mind is a scary place… ...so baby when the lights go out, hold me until it fades… Barton Parish stared dreamily at the white ceiling, the lyrics from his wife’s song dancing through his mind. Brilliant rays of light spread through the small window of the room, glowing, bouncing... Continue Reading →
Black and Yellow, Kill a Fellow
Seth jimmied through the old gate to reach his trash cans. A swarm of angry wasps greeted him as he lifted the lid to the compost. "Fuckers!" Seth yelled, batting them away as he dumped fruit and vegetable waste into the bin. He caught one with an open palm, swatting it into the wall. Another... Continue Reading →
VIP
"Drink up," Marco said, shoving a Burger King cup into my hands before I'd even buckled my seatbelt. "Tonight's gonna be epic, big Eddie..." "Gaaah!" I said after a small sip, swallowing bitterly. Marco's pre-game cocktail tasted like six parts vodka to one part Red Bull. "Where we starting the night? Black Star? The Velvet... Continue Reading →
A Host of Problems
"So? What's the verdict?" "Still can't taste shit," Darren Sinclair replies grumpily. He glugs down half a glass of water then shovels in another forkful of spaghetti. Evelyn conceals a moue of distaste as she watches the noodles slurp into her husband's mouth. His chewing is louder than usual. Beast-like. Droplets of red sauce fling... Continue Reading →
The Interview
Harrison Boyle had his first interview in two months, and he was running late. He felt as though some invisible force was purposely attempting to thwart him at every turn—prevent his arrival. That's how bad the morning had been. He forgot to set his alarm, spilled coffee on his only pressed shirt, stepped in dog... Continue Reading →
A Winter Wonderland
On the second morning, the Sutton family awoke to beams of sunlight streaming in from small windows below the cabin's roof; snow had risen over the remaining windows and doors during the night. The cabins were only twenty yards apart, but now they were snowed in, and Chase and Emma weren't sure they could reach... Continue Reading →
The Reef
Gene, Darin, and Lonnie leaped into the ocean, flippered feet first; the warm, cerulean water splashed and rippled around them under the Hawaiian sun. "Let's get our snorkel on!" Lonnie said, situating his mask and mouthpiece. "Lead the way, captain," Gene said, readying his GoPro camera. "The coral reefs out here are supposed to be... Continue Reading →
The Farmhouse
Memories become shifting, mercurial things over time, especially those overflowing with emotion. Beautiful recollections become brighter, elevated in our minds, while dark imaginings become increasingly volatile, unstable, like old sticks of dynamite, prone to ill-timed explosions. This is why it took me twenty years to return to the farmhouse. The abandoned house came into view,... Continue Reading →
The Eldritch Queen
The entire neighborhood resented the Daytons on Preston Place. Sure, Sam and Roberta Dayton had been living in Willow Brook Estates longer than anyone else, but did that give them the right to adorn their lawn with that terrible sculpture? The Reardons across the street had named her "The Eldritch Queen," with her blank stone... Continue Reading →