They hadn’t told anyone about Jack’s cancer. Not officially. Jill had known. Of course. She was there when he got the call, there to see...

There once was a girl who was afraid to die. The fear knotted her stomach and caused her to shake. Her tears ran dry, and she could do...

There’s nothing inside my coconut bra but the tourists don’t need to know that. They watch my hips, and the men grab their wives’ hands...

My husband slips under the waves and never comes back up. I watch the tide claim his balding head from my beach towel. The aquamarine...

Cycle 4000 entry 341 My master has not been tending to me as of late. I miss the touch of his fingers. The quick strokes he makes along...

Jacket: on. Boots: laced and tight. Sweatshirt and sweatpants: saggy for loose maneuvering. I’m on the midnight prowl. I’ll start on...

Anchor chains break, and ships drift to shore. Wrecks collect with the tide, rust, and recede. And every hundred years she comes to...

When I was younger, I think, I wanted to be an astronaut. Lying on the roof of my not-so-mobile mobile home, which sat on concrete slab...

“O, I have suffered With those that I saw suffer! A brave vessel, Who had, no doubt, some noble creatures in her, Dash'd all to...

Melba held the moon in her hand, caressing it gently, opening and closing her palm around the silvery sheen. It often slipped in through...

With a startled gasp, Enora shot up in bed, her small hand flying to her bosom. Her ragged breathing filled the room until Enora felt her...

They sat on opposite ends of the room. Jorge against the grate covered radiator, which happened to be off for once, and Cherry on her...

I didn’t mind being a mail-order bride. Even when I had to travel six years to meet Larry. Mr. Elon Musk himself put us in cold storage...

The poet left many papers, and his cousin, who appointed himself his literary executor, separated them into plastic boxes bought at a...

Willow Park was empty when she arrived. The thin strip of orange sunlight was melting at the bottom of deep blue. She stepped over an...

Phone calls to the kitchen during service were a nuisance, so I was gruff when I answered. I regret that now. “Kitchen. Chef.” “Raych,...

This piece is part of our “Tails + Tales” teen summer writing initiative inspired by the 2021 national summer reading theme chosen...

This piece is part of our “Tails + Tales” teen summer writing initiative inspired by the 2021 national summer reading theme chosen...

I. The Collector knocks on our door in the middle of the night, beating on the cherrywood to the rhythm of an old incantation. We awake,...

He did not expect the heartache of his life to lead to this bar and this barstool and this mermaid on Halloween. She pushed the green...