Exactly the Way it Does
Our high school talent show was in two weeks—we couldn’t agree.Brian, our bassist, said, “Let’s cover Primus,” then started slapping and popping—pretending to be Les Claypool.It sounded terrible. I plugged…[...]
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Our high school talent show was in two weeks—we couldn’t agree.Brian, our bassist, said, “Let’s cover Primus,” then started slapping and popping—pretending to be Les Claypool.It sounded terrible. I plugged…[...]
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I wake to the sound of church bells. They fill the air with their chimes and dings, signaling the eighth hour of the day. There are voices outside, shouting something…[...]
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When Justin and I were in our twenties, going to an adult-only roller rink at 10:30 PM would hardly have sounded like a wild night out. But tonight, that was…[...]
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Mason Fleece’s eyes opened to silence for the first time in years. Screetches from his alarm clock had pulled him from dreams of rainforests and mountains every morning for the…[...]
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The message was only twelve words long. Kovács read it twice before sending, thumb hovering over the encrypted transmit key. He had spent twenty years of his career learning how…[...]
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TW: A little bit of gore and mentions of blood It was incredibly dark out the morning Sailor buried the boy.A certain panic can rise through your body when something…[...]
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You must not bleed. You learn this first of all. Before love, before knowledge, before faith. You must not bleed. To bruise is unideal but sometimes a blow must be…[...]
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The Maurepas Swamp had swallowed men before, and it would swallow Ray Donner, too, if the night had its way. The rain pressed down like drowned burlap. Sweat streamed from…[...]
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Stars I am dying beneath a sky that does not care. The stars above Verantis are unfamiliar. Cold. Indifferent. They have seen countless deaths and will see countless more. Mine…[...]
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The only place I see is the horizon. What a beautiful and horrific view. When I am completely concentrated I can almost pinpoint the meeting of the sea and the…[...]
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Cain had learned that the name Jesus came from Yeshua—a Hebrew name meaning God saves. He thought this was important to remember. Cain learned this from a book he dug…[...]
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Poppy could ignore the three alarms that had already gone off. But she couldn’t ignore her Siamese cat’s gentle pawing at her face. She knew it was only a matter…[...]
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Author’s Note: This piece is an excerpt from a larger body of upcoming work titled, Scar City. Gray. Everywhere. Luka reached for Ophelia’s arm and pulled her inside the shadow…[...]
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The sea loomed in front of Erick like a vast and endless monolith. There was nothing else in his life. Nothing but the unforgiving ocean. He tried desperately not to…[...]
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There was naught a tree speckling the horizon. White, cracked salt flats spread before me, crumbling beneath the weight of the pale blue sky. Nary a wisp of rain cloud…[...]
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A STRANGE SHADE OF DAWN As bubblegum pink as the inside of your mouth, the frothy bubbles cling to the bulbous kelp strewn on the sand. Like a hot whisper…[...]
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The Woman Across the Aisleby Owen Smith I shouldn’t be allowed in here, he thought. His footsteps echoed across the empty pews, bouncing from wall to wall like bullets ricocheting…[...]
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She remembers. She always remembers. Every hurt, every open wound. Every festering sore. She can’t help her immune system. Can’t help but to lash out at us. That doesn’t help…[...]
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“Come, Davis, you wanted to know what makes this experience so special. Come look out the window,” Lee offered. Fighting his feelings of uneasy frustration, Davis moved towards the cockpit.…[...]
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The first time Mara heard the voice beneath the soil, she thought she was losing her mind.It happened in late October, when the forests surrounding the tiny town of Bell’s…[...]
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The energy of the room vibrated around him while laughter, clinking glassware, and small performances played out like an orchestra he and his wife had composed together over decades. At…[...]
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Deep red puddles collected in the dirt lanes of Masaki, thick as clotting blood. It has rained that day, though it never should have. The leaves hung heavy, each one…[...]
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Logically Monica knows that betraying her family is wrong, but what her father has gotten away with for the past couple decades...it's was time for it to come to a…[...]
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“Malcolm.”I wake to my wife faintly calling my name, her weak voice drowned by the ship’s blaring alarm. The seat straps bite into my shoulders while my arms float helplessly…[...]
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Tomorrow isn’t Promised The Red Pine Section of Oak HeightsThe Newnan ResidenceJuly 18, 202611:41 PMCHAD TANNER!?! Son of a-Bryce Newnan reclined on his back porch’s new hammock. He’d quit smoking…[...]
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From April to MayBy: Mackenzie Evans I remember the lights. Blinding. Headlights growing brighter and brighter, each second—an eternity, until they looked like two suns exploding. Exploding? Or, was that…[...]
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By the time the seventh plate was carried into the dining hall, four people at the table had already lied about why Lord Kwaku Bediako was dead.Only one of them…[...]
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By the time I turned off County Road 12, the kudzu had swallowed the mailbox whole. Green vines thick as rope curled around the post like something claiming a body.…[...]
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The clothes had to have been too big.Rango repeated that same sentence in silence, in the form of both an observation, and a plea, dozens of times during the drive…[...]
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“Honey, you’re a mess,” Madam Lian said. Lipstick smeared the right corner of her tooth. She motioned for her to come closer, Lian’s finger wet with spit as she wiped…[...]
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The day the world ended was the day that Billy Candor’s life changed for the better. Though he was only ten, Billy knew he had a tough life. When he…[...]
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INMATE FOUND DEAD IN CELL: Ellis Rucker, 28, found unresponsive in his cell at Kessler Correctional early Thursday. Prison officials say foul play has not been ruled out. Clara read…[...]
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[CW: References to suicide.] The thing in the casket looked nothing like Ryan Cole. Rain poured off the sides of the heavy canvas canopy, turning the graveyard grass to mud.…[...]
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By noon, everyone in Hollowmere had come to see whether Marta Bell was truly dead.They arrived in black coats and polished boots, carrying lilies and candles. The church stood at…[...]
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Thursday Evening (Upstairs Room, Community Centre) They all sat round a rickety coffee table perched on plastic seats in varying degrees of discomfort like they were trying to prove something.…[...]
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Father Joseph looked around the sea of black in front of him as he stepped towards the lectern. The polished oak at his fingertips was cold to the touch. The…[...]
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‘Twas election night, and the votes were in. All day across the city, people blackened in little ovals and dropped ballots into metal boxes. The residents were picking the future…[...]
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Leanette adjusted the napkins placed on top of the plates so that the embroidered sunflowers sit right at the center. This is the third time in ten minutes. She moved…[...]
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Vedalia huffed as she entered the house and set a box down on the counter. "Kids, we're home," she said.Ethan was right behind her. Vedalia grabbed a glass of wine…[...]
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We held hands as my father said the prayers."Heavenly Father, we thank you for this food and for the ones who prepared it." He smiled warmly at my mother, who…[...]
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Mysteries may unfold or unravel at a moment’s notice or may intensify in depth until they are barely solvable. — The Narrator This was the time and place for all…[...]
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During a dinner party in the final days of September, there was a man by the name of Michael Tret who as looking for someone else there named, Eric Wron.…[...]
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For Independence Day Emily wanted music. Jen wanted crafts. Olivia said a Rainbow Gathering was the perfect compromise.They found information online. The national gathering was somewhere in the Daniel Boone…[...]
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A middle aged woman watched the fire sprang to life, making a satisfying crackling sound as the flames enlarged. It never got old. Although the rest of Morgan Hall had…[...]
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Dangling limply across the makeshift walls of the office cubicles, a paper chain made from scrap paperwork was severed at the middle. Perhaps the gluestick that had been used to…[...]
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It was a face emerging from the woodgrain of our office door that captivated me. Throughout the workday filled with mundane tasks of checking emails, typing punch lists, and fielding…[...]
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The following is the re-telling of history as only the witnesses can tell it. Humans became putrid in these lands and died in droves. Doctors failed to diagnose the peculiar…[...]
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…in…in this room…cursed room…loved?... cursed…. where she slept…half-grown in her hometown t-shirt…shorts…no shorts…t-shirt worn with holes…on the floor…he having thrown it…under the bed…dust collected and swept and settled again…. and…[...]
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My eyes felt like galaxies—holding the swirling glow of countless memories—as I took in our childhood home. Its siding looked like remnants of driftwood after a bonfire. I swore I…[...]
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08:50:05.000:RequestGeneratedHey Phaedra, can you give me a recipe for vegan lasagne with a rich, creamy bechamel sauce?08:50:05.005: ResponseDispatched++Certainly! For a delicious vegan lasagne, you'll need lasagne noodles, marinara sauce, vegan ricotta,…[...]
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"...Please leave a message after the tone-" She half tossed- half dropped her phone on the couch and leaned back over the arm, looking out the window. The rain was…[...]
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Flying with Sparrows by J. M. Oxford Sparrows parade on tree branches outside my window. They cozy up to each other until taken by flight. I dream of flight –…[...]
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“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for a newer and richer experience.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt…[...]
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The sun was shining, the birds were chirping outside, and there wasn’t a single cloud in sight. A perfect day for Lukas to spend his time in the woods outside…[...]
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Snip! Snip! Snip! My long, dark tresses fall to the floor. My mother continues until my hair is shorn as short as any boy’s. “Put your brother’s old clothes on…[...]
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Bristol, August 4, 1875My dearest daughter Jemma, It is of the utmost importance that you come home, and with great haste. Your mother misses you greatly, and your sisters find themselves…[...]
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“Hi! I’m Rachel, I’ll be your stylist today.” A petite, pretty girl who had blushed when their eyes met, lifted her long thick hair. “So! We’re going short!” She’d come out of town,…[...]
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(CW: cursing, references to war)WWIII. Russia vs. China vs. North Korea vs. the US. It was 2035.The war had just ended, and Edmund Salloway was coming back to the States…[...]
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Your Failing FrameTrigger Warning: Eating Disorders, Self-Harm, SuicideIt’s starting again isn’t it? As my head lays across your chest, your heart beats slowly under my ear. You graze your hand across…[...]
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I leaned against the passenger door of Dad’s red ’87 Monte Carlo, and I felt unsure of whether to catch my breath or inhale my cigarette. But the wind chaffed…[...]
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Jane Austen While my toes started their usual tingling dance, a delightful last year drifted through my mind. Every year, for many years now, and like every other human on…[...]
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Trigger/Content Warning:Suicidal Ideation, Implied Suicide, Referenced Abuse/Violence, Transphobia, Misogyny, Mental Health Issues.-----Drawing under her lid, Jasmine’s arm shook, interrupting the delicate stream of black. She attempted to steady her right…[...]
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Warning: Pregnancy loss. Come on, come on, come on! They chanted in their head as they sat in rush hour traffic. They glanced down at their wrist and cursed at…[...]
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Erika Steel rounded the final turn of the quarter-mile race track, her short blonde hair whipping wildly in the wind. Standing six-foot-tall, her long, slender legs kicked her sprint into…[...]
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There is no snow on the Small Uphill Cemetery in Grand Prairie, Texas. Probably from global warming or something. The long-dead grass crunches under your feet like your abuela’s famous…[...]
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Trigger warning - contains scenes of violence, strong language, transphobia and mature themes. Darkness flooded every line of sight as Otis gently opened her eyes. An intense, throbbing pain radiated…[...]
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ALMOST LIKE AN APPARITION No doubt that she could not go unnoticed. Her long straight platinum blond hair, they moved, remaining long straight, to the almost regal pace of her…[...]
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“Are you there God? It’s me, Iris,” I say looking at my reflection in the bedroom mirror. “IRIS! Get your ass downstairs, the bus ain’t gonna wait much longer,” Grandma…[...]
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It is a slow walk up to the batter's box, the last out of the little league game, unless Shane can make something happen. Waiting for the umpire to sweep…[...]
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“Oh, grow up.” This was my mother’s reaction when I came out to her as being transgender. I think she knew already. I had probably left her clues: a bra…[...]
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Content Warning: Transphobia The sterile, lemony scent of Lysol lingered in the lobby, melding with the comforting glow of the afternoon sun streaming through the sweeping exterior windows as Elias…[...]
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As I slid into my silk panties, I knew I was tasting forbidden fruit. The thought of this biblical reference passed through my mind, reminding me of my Bible thumping…[...]
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I didn’t think we’d find the treasure, but I agreed to the trip because he was my dad. The prospect of finding money did excite me. Of course it did:…[...]
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Trigger warning: Transphobia and mention of suicidal ideationA lot can happen in a year.For example: Around this time last December I spent a good ten minutes trekking through rows of…[...]
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Claire stared into the mirror, scrutinizing her appearance as she had done so many times before. It was easy to do as so little of what she saw was what…[...]
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Toshiro galloped across the battlefield, his stallion’s hooves thundering in the quiet reverence that had descended when the last swords were sheathed. The rhythm was soothing, assuring him he would…[...]
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During my childhood, nothing was bigger than my Dad’s footsteps. Everything seemed to shrink compared to it. His feet, often clad in the same woolie-socks all year around (even during…[...]
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She opened the door. A stranger was standing on the doorstep, yet not quite a stranger nor yet a friend. She blinked, not wanting to know if it was really…[...]
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Aestivation: a state of dormancy assumed in response to harsh environmental conditions, such as drought or extreme heat. One of the few times my father cried in his life was…[...]
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Sensitive Content Warning: contains strong language, mentions sexual violence, talks of suicide, and mental health issues. Am I making the right choice? Last year I became homeless, and after a…[...]
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CW: Harsh language including homophobic slurs I was eight years old the first time I kissed Winnifred. We were in one of those covered tubes on the playground, the hard…[...]
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The heavy air blanketed the neighborhood, seemingly suffocating everything around it. The humidity made it hard to breathe, forcing me to inhale much more than I’m used to. Despite the…[...]
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TW: This story has dreamcore/weirdcore imagery and ideas of transphobia in it that the character deals with. “Don’t you remember?” One of the hyper-realistic, disembodied mouths on the wall said…[...]
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[Warning: this book contains talk of suicide, briefly alcoholism, very brief domestic violence, as well as arguing] It was April 12th the day of the first incident. I was polyamorous,…[...]
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