Fiction

James—Jane Snyder

Fiction Issue #5: Heroes July 28th, 2020 July 28th, 2020 James by Jane Snyder here was so much to see, hear, feel, smell, taste in New York, we were overwhelmed. By dinner on the fourth day the kids said they were done. They weren’t doing another thing. It was so pretty that, when we left the restaurant, Times Square glowing in the spring twilight, I told them we should stay, walk around a little. “You can stay,” my ...

Spidey—Austin Manchester

Fiction Issue #5: Heroes July 28th, 2020 July 28th, 2020 Spidey by Austin Manchester y dad was Spider-Man once. Not in the movies or in the cartoons, but in hospital hallways and the rooms of sick kids. You may have met him once, I don’t know. He would take me on his road trips sometimes, his spider suit crumpled and lumpy in the backseat. “Dad, you ever gonna wash that thing?” “Don’t got time between fightin’ Doc Ock and ...

Lies I Tell My Father–JG Alderisio

Fiction Issue #5: Heroes July 28th, 2020 July 28th, 2020 Lies I Tell My Father by JG Alderisio ow’s your job at the newspaper?” my father asks me. He is sitting on a couch, a plush throw blanket spread across his legs. “The newspaper’s fine,” I lie. I lie because it is simple. I lie because it is quick. I lie because it is easier than trying to explain to my father that though I have worked for ...

The Dilemma of Old Furnaces—Justin Alcala

Fiction Issue #5: Heroes July 28th, 2020 July 28th, 2020 The Dilemma of Old Furnaces by Justin Alcala rena watched the flames perform a grand jeté across the logs. Her lips curved into a grimace as the hearth finished its tale. Fire tells its own stories if you can speak its tongue. Not all of its yarns were bitter, but this one had a way of reaching into Irena’s heart and squeezing out the sweetness. Irena ...

Scrambled—Robert Kramer

Fiction Issue #4: Hope March 31st, 2020 March 31st, 2020 Scrambled by Robert A. Kramer weat glistened on John’s shiny scalp. He took a deep breath and mopped his face with a stained white handkerchief. “It’s not my fault.” He lurched forward, planted his meaty hands on the table, and struggled to his feet. The neighborhood kids used to call him Boss Hog because of The Dukes of Hazzard reruns they’d seen, but he’d far exceeded ...

Bodies in Flight—Eren Harris

Fiction Issue #4: Hope March 31st, 2020 March 31st, 2020 Bodies in Flight by Eren Harris f I believed in life after death, I wouldn’t have tried to die.” Ava sits cross-legged in the booth with the toes of her black Vans tucked into her knee-pits, like some jaded skate punk yogi. Her eyes are Bombay Sapphire blue, just like I remember. “That was the whole point, right? To stop the game?” “Right.” I nod. “Of course. ...

Straightforward and Safe—Akhil Bansal

Fiction Issue #4: Hope March 31st, 2020 March 31st, 2020 Straightforward and Safe by Akhil Bansal his procedure is relatively straightforward and safe. Do you know what it involves?” the doctor asks Anna. He pauses for a moment; he takes her fixation on the mosaic of scuff marks on his shoes as an indication that she doesn’t know She has already told him that this is the first time she has set foot in a hospital ...

Anatomy of an Assault—Gargi Mehra

Fiction Issue #4: Hope March 31st, 2020 March 31st, 2020 Anatomy of an Assault by Gargi Mehra n a late Friday afternoon in a Belfast hospital, Dr. Oak glanced up from her clipboard. Outside the window, a thin film of rain fell over the city. She noted the time on the clock—three hours left before she could drive home to her family. Her one-year-old daughter always leapt to answer the doorbell even if her bedtime had ...

Koan—Will Leggat

Fiction Issue #4: Hope March 31st, 2020 March 31st, 2020 Koan by Will Leggat ’d tried to visit his apartment before. Phone calls were easy—to the doctors, to Mom—but visits meant time, which meant new memories replacing old ones. Dad’s voice crept slowly from the shadows, nearly drowned in the noise of the movie, Biutiful, that had already begun to play. “Come in,” he said. As I entered, the light from the hallway crept across the walls into ...