Flash Frog
Small. Brightly colored. Deadly to the touch.
Category: Uncategorized
Sissy by Annie Johnson
Perhaps if Sisyphus had thighs skinny enough to enclose between two hands / wrists skinny enough to enclose between one finger / waist skinny enough to wrap two arms around / one arm around / if Sisyphus was on Ozempic / if Sisyphus knew… Continue Reading “Sissy by Annie Johnson”
Neighborhood Watch by Kathryn Kulpa
Camera 1 Our neighbor on the right, Mrs. Moulton, didn’t feel safe at home anymore. So much crime these days. Her husband, so often away on business. So she adopted a dog from the shelter, a huge black Hound of the Baskervilles beast with… Continue Reading “Neighborhood Watch by Kathryn Kulpa”
The First and Final Meeting of Swim Club #112 by Huck Brock
All winter, we nine-to-fived and obeyed lines between boxy buildings, calendar grids, and hour hands, even when the wedge of day narrowed until night waited for us at home. So, when months went by and days got wide and spring sputtered and skipped into… Continue Reading “The First and Final Meeting of Swim Club #112 by Huck Brock”
Tell by Beth Sherman
Sex. You lie back, close your eyes and think about how to make green chili pie. You could teach the girls, right after you pick them up from tennis. Easy-peasy. A useful thing to know. Sex is overrated. Like pickleball and Chick-fil-A. On TV,… Continue Reading “Tell by Beth Sherman”
Girls and Their Cars by Emily Reed
Most nights, we drive around with no destination, taking different back roads onto the main road, looking out for cars we know. Lowrider sees us and flashes his lights from the Gas ’n Grub parking lot. Lowrider is my stalker; he follows me every… Continue Reading “Girls and Their Cars by Emily Reed”
The Paw of a Mouse is Called a Hand by Nora Esme Wagner
My dad texts me—we have a mouse in our house!!!—then a mouse emoji with an elegant coat of white fur and menacing red eyes, like Perler Beads. There are no visible mice in my freshman residence hall, and no functioning radiators. To restore feeling… Continue Reading “The Paw of a Mouse is Called a Hand by Nora Esme Wagner”
Scorpions by Evan Burkin
My brother taught me how to catch scorpions in Death Valley. One word: pitfalls. Mikey and I would spend an evening near a large rockface—one with a lot of cuts and cracks; little guys fit anywhere—and we’d dig holes and place jars in ’em.… Continue Reading “Scorpions by Evan Burkin”
Empty Nest by Liz Rosen
When the mothers stepped outside their houses—to go to work, to the grocery, to deliver a child, or several, to the bus stop—a lightness overcame them. Their feet suddenly came loose from the ground. At first, it was just their heels that detached from… Continue Reading “Empty Nest by Liz Rosen”
Deep Water by Emily Brisse
Under my shifting feet, the dock creaks and moans. Or maybe those noises are coming from me. I’m pacing the dock’s platform, some forty feet out from shore. The water below isn’t clear—algae and seaweed crisscross the lake’s surface in a pockmarked mesh—and no… Continue Reading “Deep Water by Emily Brisse”
Other People’s Dreams by Emily Rinkema
When our dog, John’s dog, collapsed in the kitchen, we were all too drunk to drive. It was almost midnight, and we’d been celebrating Marty’s 40th birthday. There were five of us, John, me, Marty, Susan, and Father Ted, who had surprised us by… Continue Reading “Other People’s Dreams by Emily Rinkema”