Category: Uncategorized

Playing the Ghost by L. Soviero

My husband says he’s making me a ghost. And an hour later, I’m invisible to him. Or not so much invisible as unobtrusive, like the parched peace lily in the corner of our living room, the seaside painting hanging skew-whiff on the wall.  The… Continue Reading “Playing the Ghost by L. Soviero”

Between the Banyan Tree by Sanjana Ramanathan

Dharsha kept her hands tight over her eyes until she reached 10 because that was the sort of girl she was. Even in a game of hide and seek, she was a rule follower — her school uniform neat, her twin braids tied off… Continue Reading “Between the Banyan Tree by Sanjana Ramanathan”

There are Absolutely No Ghosts in Mr. Gower’s Field by Sara Hills

You used to think you might marry Markus Mayer when you grew up, but now you want to peel every freckle off his face and prove he’s a liar. “I’m not scared of ghosts,” you say when he tells you Mr. Gower’s field is… Continue Reading “There are Absolutely No Ghosts in Mr. Gower’s Field by Sara Hills”

Rag Doll by Sudha Balagopal

I watch Father’s new wife add Kalamata olives to the dough. Their residue leaves ochre-green patches, like wounds on skin. Sliced, the bread will look as if capillaries have burst inside the layers. She lifts her hefty bangs, smiles. “I know you adore olives.”… Continue Reading “Rag Doll by Sudha Balagopal”

Tokyo Pearl by Teresa Plana

I’ve got grandma’s hands, long and thick-veined, fingers knotty like redwood, stuffed in the back of my underwear drawer. Every morning I look at her prong-set ring, her nails pearly like an oil spill. When I pull out my least favorite bra, it is… Continue Reading “Tokyo Pearl by Teresa Plana”

Home-Traveling by María Alejandra Barrios

The Groceries You don’t understand much but what you’ve been trained for. When you enter the grocery store, resist the urge to take. Squint your eyes in the bright lights, even though you’re around them all day. Take out your phone: the grocery list… Continue Reading “Home-Traveling by María Alejandra Barrios”

In the City of Sailing Statues by Tara Campbell

Despite the chill we’ve all assembled at the shore, sniffing the breeze for hints of spring, looking out toward the sea and waiting for our next statue to arrive. We can never be certain which day it will come, but after all these years,… Continue Reading “In the City of Sailing Statues by Tara Campbell”

Black and White by Stephanie Parent

When she tells herself the story for the first time, she is five years old. In the story she is wearing a white dress and lying on her stomach in the brown dirt. She can smell the minerals in the soil, feel the warm… Continue Reading “Black and White by Stephanie Parent”

After Flaubert by Andrew Bertaina

There’s a letter from Flaubert to his lover that I think you’d adore, about the way he passed the day after his lover had returned home. The details are quiet and mundane, the ice-shrouded lights, the carriage ride home through the snow-muffled streets but… Continue Reading “After Flaubert by Andrew Bertaina”

Telethon by Kathryn Kulpa

Do you remember when Gran came over and took a nap after Sunday dinner with her teeth in a pink plastic cup and we borrowed not stole her wheelchair and gave each other rides in it, first just the long hill of the driveway… Continue Reading “Telethon by Kathryn Kulpa”