“Left Behind” by Mark Tullius
School’s out, eighth grade’s over, a time for celebration. But not for Ben, a simple boy who’s been left behind the last two years. [11min] Excerpt: Ben swung back and forth across the sand, his shoes gliding across the surface as he scrunched his eyes and stared at the top of the sun disappearing behind [...]
“The Time-Share” by Fred Warren
A dark intersection, a brutal attack, and a moment of panic. They said he was lucky, but there are penalties worse than life in prison. [5min] Excerpt: They time-shared me to Chuckie Lee Wilson after he died. If you take a life, you give your life. That’s the law now. No excuses, no shades of [...]
“Grand-Monster” by Sasha Janel McBrayer
Grand parents can seem very strange. They come from another time, after all. The scariest part about staying in my grandmother’s house was her dentures… or so I believed. [6min] Excerpt: Gram kept her teeth in a glass at the sink. The water inside the glass distorted them. I never could look at them directly. [...]
“Aftershocks” by Craig D.B. Patton
A couple, grieving the loss of their son in Iraq, returns home to find their living room ransacked, and the police have no answers. (6min) Excerpt: It has been four years since their son vanished in a massive truck bomb explosion in Baghdad. Witnesses said he was standing right next to it when it went [...]
“Forgiven” by Theodore Thompson
Possessed by a force he cannot resist, James takes a detour to save his soul. Unable to forgive himself for a past betrayal, he calls upon the one person that can explain why he deserves to be forgiven. [19min]
“Happily Ever After” by Jeff Grubb
When love first blooms, it is all sparkles and sleek fur, but as the years roll on, the true nature, and the true price, of eternal love becomes apparent. [14min]
“Of Rain and Roses” by Jess Hartley
Roses are for remembrance. But what’s a girl to do, when she can’t ever forget the sight of her true love turning away forever? [22min]
“Sane Reaction” by Lisa Morton
A night on the town turns into a tug-of-war between a man and a woman who both have their own methods of combatting loneliness. “Sane Reaction” began life as a very successful one-act play, which has since been performed in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and other cities. Its transformation into a short story became my first professional fiction sale. [27min]
“Shades Darker than War” by John Grover
The Hell of War is nothing compared to one soldier’s experience on the beach of Omaha. What Ben saw amidst the carnage he wished he could forget. [14min]
“Witches, All” by Laura Benedict
I’ve always had a grudging admiration for the bold women who present themselves at dressing room doors, ready for what ever lies behind them. [39min]
