By Karie Ociepka, One Lux Designs

by Raymond Anganes Once upon a time in the dead of a warm night in July, four boys sat around a campfire in a graveyard at the edge of town. The breeze threw patterns into the tongues of fire, and the shadows of the night danced across the skinniest boy’s face. He was the haunted …

by Robert M. Mendonsa ‘The leaves’, she said. ‘The leaves are changing.’ Dylan woke to the droning hum of a vacuum cleaner. It resounded from the other side of his bedroom door, originating from the living room of his campus apartment. He crunched a pillow over his ears, tempted to throw the pillow into the …

MJ Bujold It was early July,1967. I was turning thirteen in eight days. I was getting my ears pierced for my birthday. My mom said I would be almost a woman and I would be expected to behave like a lady from then on. No more climbing trees or exploring expeditions in the woods behind …

Carcarus By Samantha Lynch        Victoria Ave was like a siren song in the afternoon light. She pulled down the street and could not be more thankful. After forty five minutes of traffic Josie was fed up. It had been bumper to bumper from Prexiam Knowledge Publishing to Bartimus Elementary School. On any other day, …

Affirmations By Mark Andrews   Characters Penny: Loud, Excited, Emotional & Lively Songbird, Awkward. Kenny: Aged, Hardened Carpenter, Knowing. Setting: The first constructed scene is of a school performing arts classroom. Simple, and open. Act I, Scene 1 (Carpenter on stage frames a small wall. He drives the last nail and prepares to stand it …

B By Kate McCadden        I was having an excellent time not being in love. I had finally figured out how to be free of all the conventional things I always thought that I wanted—babies, marriage, or dependency. I hardly knew who I was for a while. I didn’t like myself very much. You told …

There Was Once a Man Who Was Also a Bear By Kate McCadden        The frozen wind cut through the trees, carrying with it the echoed howls of wolves in the distant darkness, the night that the boy was born.      Usually, the boy was just a normal boy. He would laugh and play in the …

The Serpent’s Kiss By Angelina Pino        Taylor jumped back when it was only Caleb to open the door for her. Her fist nearly clonked into his head. Lea had said she might end her shift early tonight and go home right after. Sorry to cut the sleepover short, she had said, but Taylor understood. …

Into The Future By Samantha Pirog        “You volunteered to do what?” Mom’s shrill voice filled the kitchen, piercing my ears. Wincing, I took a deep breath. My eyes quickly scanned the faces surrounding me at the table to see how the rest were taking the news.      On my right, Dad’s eyes bulged. His mouth …

Sure Title By Edwin Chamba   Characters John Smith: a high school teacher who works a second job in the summer as a manager. Tim Ives: a high school student who likes math and reading. Applicant 9: one of the ten applicants who are being interviewed today. Citizen 227377: License Number: S28452164, Status: Dependent Worker …

The Peculiar Case of Jib Tompkins By Boyd Mason               Jib Tompkins was not a nice man. This was the consensus of nearly the entire village of Wintershed, Vermont. Though no one really knew why. He was shunned by all. When the scruffy old hermit came down from the hills to do his monthly …

A Year to You By Dana Shahar               Your January is the pair of pilling wool mittens into which you tuck your pink-tipped fingers. It is the New Year’s fireworks show you missed because you were stuck in traffic at the stroke of midnight. It is the frostbitten branches glazing telephone wires, the naked …

Due Process By Lubica Kotevski   August 27th, 1998             It was blazing. Scorching, really.             “What is it this time?” asked a short, slightly overweight woman from the crowd. She wasn’t genuinely directing her question at anyone but rather just adding chatter to the already heavy crowd.  The blockade of blue-lighted police cars lit …

By: Claire Destroismaison I watched her pull out an American Spirit from her blue Versace purse. She looked exceptionally well today. Long, flowy, purple skirt, black ballet flats, with red and purple bangles dangling from her perfect wrists. Her red manicure still looked fresh from the week before. Every morning same time, 9:05 a.m., she’d …

By Jada Diaz It was bright spring day at John Buroughs High School. All was normal. The Cliques were all in perfect harmony. The Seven Quarter War between the Drama Club and the Cheerleaders had finally come to a truce, and no one had to worry about taking sides or alliances. Until The Announcement was …

By Michael A Roccia III I hate hospitals, they are so cold.  Not the temperature, I could care less about that, it’s the feeling.  White walls, white floors and even white counters that the nurses hide behind.  I stand outside my little girl’s room with only my umbrella, a stuffed rabbit and a lily in …

By Rose Titus   I know it’s strange to just say it like this, but Joe was evil.  I don’t mean that he was messed up, or disturbed, or anything like that.  He was evil.  Really.  Joe was evil.  It’s true.  I know what evil looks like.  Let me tell you this.  Evil is good …

By Michael A Roccia III   I stand in my brother’s room watching him sleep. I call him my baby brother, but he really isn’t an infant anymore. He is thirteen now, his birthday was actually just a few days ago. It’s hard to believe how fast he is growing up, not that I am …

By Tricia Nindel   My sister Julie floored the gas as I slid Frampton Comes Alive into opening of the eight track player. The speakers in her Mustang flooded the car with the mellow music, perfect for the sultry afternoon. As we drove down the expressway headed toward Nantasket Beach to see her boyfriend’s band, …

  BEWARE “CLOWN”: based on actual events   By Dan Graffeo   I didn’t come home from war to deal with this. Tawny and I had an argument. She wanted us to take Ryan to the circus and I forbid it. She got tickets while I was overseas and assumed I wouldn’t think anything of …