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Who Can Hold a Princess by Vivian M. Liu
January 2, 2026 1108 words
A princess cursed to live in a glass cage. A prophecy that only a swordsman can save her. And the retainer who will do anything to protect her.
This Is Not a Space Kidnapping Fantasy by Priya Sridhar
December 15, 2025 3585 words
Fandom is where Vega finds friendship, community, commiseration. But what she really wants is for the rockets to come for her.
Our Lady of the Elevator by Shiwei Zhou
December 1, 2025 3363 words
Ahyi is the elevator operator in the apartment building. She always knows what to do, even when things start getting weird.
The Interview by Tim Hickson
November 17, 2025 2939 words
Job interviews are stressful enough, but when you're applying for the right of personhood, your entire future depends on it.
When Eve Chose Us by Tia Tashiro
November 3, 2025 2431 words
On my best friend Eve's 34th birthday, she decided to join the hivemind.
Resurrection Scars by Sheila Massie
October 15, 2025 3584 words
The ishetim can resurrect her lover, once. Even if she never wanted to come back.
(Skin) by Chelsea Sutton
October 1, 2025 3350 words
When Estelle dies, her Skin doesn't. Some people take that better than others.
On the Effects and Efficiency of Birdsong: A Meta-Analysis by F.T. Berner
September 15, 2025 3496 words
Marco's research on generating power from birdsong is taken too far and too fast.
The Glorious Pursuit of Nominal by Lisa Brideau
September 1, 2025 3480 words
A maintanence bot is going to bring its ship's metrics to the unimaginable glory of 100% nominal.
Skin as Warp, Blood as Weft by Lilia Zhang
August 15, 2025 969 words
Zhinü weaves endlessly to forget the man who trapped her in her skin, and all the things he took.
Will He Speak With Gentle Words? by A.J. Rocca
August 1, 2025 1994 words
When the fisherman brings in the leviathan, it leaves calm seas in its wake and brings strangers to their shore.
The Saint of Arms by Mason Yeater
July 16, 2025 3276 words
What does it matter if you take away everyone else's weapons, if you cant use one against them?
Please Properly Cage Your Words by Beth Goder
July 2, 2025 1995 words
The fourth wall there, it can make or break Jane's reality.
Paths, Littlings, and Holy Things by Somto Ihezue
June 16, 2025 3260 words
Olaedo's not going to let it happen. Not this time. When she felt there were two, she planned her escape.
Irina, Unafraid by Anna Clark
June 2, 2025 1298 words
No one's really sure what to think, when they find out Irina was augmenting with a fear-inhibitor before she tried to jump through the moon.
Laser Eyes Ain't Everything by Effie Seiberg
May 16, 2025 3479 words
Falling space debris changes a lot about your life. You'd think the Superhero Union would understand that.
The Rat King Who Wasn't by Stephen Granade
May 2, 2025 2847 words
The sudden abdication of a rat king leaves his successor angry and his friend worried.
The Octopus Dreams of Personhood by Hannah Yang
April 16, 2025 3035 words
An octopus wants to borrow Shun's body. And why not; it's not like she's doing anything with it.
The Unfactory by Derrick Boden
April 2, 2025 1890 words
You clock in, you unmake a bit of reality, you write a tidy little report, you clock out.
The Witches Who Drowned by R.J. Becks
March 17, 2025 3080 words
Don't get too precious about what you can do, and the Navy and police and career academics will let you swim deep enough to hide what's actually important.
The Matador and the Labyrinth by C.C. Finlay
March 3, 2025 2699 words
The matador takes to the ring, ready to dance with death and a somewhat disappointing bull.
In His Image by R. Haven
February 17, 2025 2480 words
A statue, in its crafting, is full of love for its creator, but rather short on understanding.
Application For Continuance: vMingle Restroom Utility (RedemptionMod) by Ethan Charles Reed
February 3, 2025 3003 words
A Virtual Restroom Utility sets out to make tolerable Macy's date with the customer colloquially known as Irredeemable Narcissist Tim.
The Statue Hunt by E. Carey Crowder
January 15, 2025 3032 words
Two academics indulging a boisterous student treasure hunt stumble across more than they had bargained for.
The Year the Sheep God Shattered by Marissa Lingen
January 3, 2025 3280 words
Every year, Suvin's village lets go its old gods, and casts new ones. It's not always an easy transition.
Margery Lung Is Unstoppable by Lisa Cai
December 16, 2024 3288 words
Margie always raised the dead for a reason.
St. Thomas Aquinas Administers the Turing Test by Mary Berman
December 2, 2024 1774 words
Before an automaton may take the Eucharist, Saint Thomas Aquinas must devise a way to determine whether it has a soul.
The Lighthouse Keeper by Melinda Brasher
November 15, 2024 3500 words
They finally let her have a job, and she just wanted to do it well.
Song for a Star-Whale's Ghost by Devin Miller
November 1, 2024 1710 words
Balentora's ghost was old, and confused, and no one could be sure whether the whale understood why this heist was so important.
Bone Talker, Bone Eater by D.S. Ravenhurst
October 16, 2024 3089 words
Suvi can hear the bones talk, and to everyone else, that's enough to bring the bone eaters.
The Gaunt Strikes Again by Rich Larson
October 2, 2024 1001 words
Anybody who's anybody is at the Duke's lavish soiree, which makes it the perfect target for The Gaunt.
Batter and Pearl by Steph Kwiatkowski
September 16, 2024 3574 words
It's sort of like old times with Dough-Girl and Brill on board, hunting pearl and mucking batter, but then I remember Ecker's got somewhere else to go, and something else to be.
Letters From Mt. Monroe Elementary, Third Grade by Sarah Pauling
September 2, 2024 2084 words
An accelerated history of welcoming the aliens through the letters, imaginings, and understandings of schoolchildren.
Dreamwright Street by Mike Reeves-McMillan
August 16, 2024 2282 words
Dreams are valuable... to the people that can afford them.
In Tandem by Emilee Prado
August 2, 2024 1585 words
From the moment they met, they shared everything. Mind, body, and soul. And then one of them changed.
Phantom Heart by Charlie B. Lorch
July 15, 2024 2490 words
The Artificial Death Reconstruction Unit has seen a lot of violent ends, even before the police officer brought it home.
Eternal Recurrence by Spencer Nitkey
July 1, 2024 1864 words
You're gone, and your replacements just aren't working. No matter how much material I give them, they just can't see to be you.
Hold the Sea Inside by Erin Keating
June 17, 2024 3188 words
Maribel prayed to the sea, and the sea would answer.
This Week in Clinical Dance: Urgent Care at the Hastings Center by Lauren Ring
June 3, 2024 906 words
Her slow, preventable death is the performance of a lifetime.
How to Kill the Giant Living Brain You Found in Your Mother's Basement After She Died: An Interactive Guide by Alex Sobel
May 15, 2024 4307 words
Ah! I see your mother has left you an enormous living brain in her basement. Are you ready to slay this unexpected inheritance?
Ketchōkuma by Mason Yeater
May 1, 2024 2377 words
Working for the employment bureau, Yasuko Nagamine forms a... special relationship with the kaiju-bear wreaking havoc on the city.
Six-Month Assessment on Miracle Fresh by Anne Liberton
April 15, 2024 2230 words
A marketing report on the effectiveness of the first choice in holy refreshment.
Ten Easy Steps To Destroying Your Enemies This Arbor Day by Rachael K. Jones
April 1, 2024 709 words
Celebrate this Arbour Day by GETTING IN THE PATH OF MY TREE LASER.
The Offer of Peace Between Two Worlds by Renan Bernardo
March 15, 2024 2484 words
Despite being born and raised as a peace offering, free will has other plans for a precious ship and its vestigal child.
Level One: Blowtorch by Jared Oliver Adams
March 1, 2024 1199 words
Five-year-old Graciela is starting to have to play a little harder for rations, and now Friend is asking her to visit the No-No Door.
The Geist and/in/as the Boltzmann Brain by M.J. Pettit
February 16, 2024 2425 words
The atoms forming Lem's brain keep forming again and again, impossibly yearning for an improbable girlfriend.
BUDDY RAYMOND'S NO-BULLSHIT GUIDE TO DRONE HUNTING by Gillian Secord
February 2, 2024 1894 words
DO NOT DISTRIBUTE. The feds don't take kindly to these handouts.
They Are Dancing by John Stadelman
January 15, 2024 2311 words
Lovers would run forever, to stay in one moment.
A Descending Arctic Excavation of Us by Sara S. Messenger
January 3, 2024 1272 words
A descendant descends through the layers of ice and history and all the microfloric of life on earth.
It Clings by Hammond Diehl
December 1, 2023 829 words
A dybbuk is colorless. It is flat. It is kind of sticky.
In the Shelter of Ghosts by Risa Wolf
November 1, 2023 3538 words
Rory builds a home, a shelter from the bug, but there's always a chance her father will refuse to haunt it.
Like Ladybugs, Bright Spots In Your Mailbox by Marie Croke
October 2, 2023 2967 words
A little bit of joy, of freedom, of luck and happiness... Yeah, it's beautiful, but it's just not allowable.
Requiem by P.H. Low
September 15, 2023 3308 words
You wanted me to burn bright. And you brought me here, where that flame could be harnessed. What did you expect?
Every Me Is Someone Else by Andrew Dibble
September 1, 2023 3189 words
Joshua's having trouble differentiating himself from his mother long enough to say goodbye.
On a Smoke-Blackened Wing by Joanne Rixon
August 2, 2023 2548 words
All over the world, we are beginning to flock, giving wings to anything that leaves ground. And there, with her head firmly in the clouds, is little Avie.
The Dryad and the Carpenter by Samara Auman
July 18, 2023 2987 words
A dryad, once beloved of Athena, becomes the focus of a talented carpenter and his growing family.
Glass Moon Water by Linda Niehoff
July 5, 2023 2101 words
Mothers try their best, but sometimes nothing else will satisfy a child's thirst for adventure, but a summer swim with the dead.
Interstate Mohinis by M.L. Krishnan
June 16, 2023 3030 words
I don't know what I am or why I feed. Only that my hunger and I persist. Until I, at last, met the Beautiful One.
They Were Wonderful, Once by Lily Watson
June 2, 2023 1730 words
A small vampire family takes a road trip across America to see New York City, but it's not how grandma remembers it.
Diamondback V. Tunnelrat by Nick Thomas
May 15, 2023 3360 words
In a landmark court case, the troll Diamondback and Tunnelrat the dwarf argue to the rights to one severed (and reattached) ear.
Six Reasons Why Bots Make the Worst Asteroid Miners by Matt Bliss
May 1, 2023 512 words
1. They think they know everything.
Bottled Words by Carol Scheina
April 17, 2023 3333 words
Our family has hundreds of bottled words, and Dad keeps them all, like he thinks one day I'll be able to hear them.
Re: Your Stone by Guan Un
April 3, 2023 1335 words
For Sisyphus, working at Hades Corp is a literal nightmare.
A Girl With a Planet In Her Eye by Ruth Joffre
March 22, 2023 870 words
There's a planet in her eye, and it needs room to grow.
The Desert's Voice is Sweet to Hear by Carolina Valentine
March 15, 2023 3870 words
The desert is very convincing, once it's inside your head.
The Hivemind's Royal Jelly by Josh Pearce
March 8, 2023 859 words
A wax man murdered a wax man, and yet insists there has been no crime.
Rattenkönig by Jenova Edenson
March 1, 2023 3650 words
It'll be a road trip to remember, and only one of them knows there's no going back.
Devil's Lace by Julie Le Blanc
February 15, 2023 3597 words
Demons have been challenged to fiddles, and chess games, and poker. But crochet? That's a first.
The Monologue of a Moon Goddess in the Palace of Pervasive Cold by Anja Hendrikse Liu
February 1, 2023 2533 words
The veil weighs heavier every year.
Tell Me the Meaning of Bees by Amal Singh
January 16, 2023 3612 words
Words are vanishing, and with them, all meaning and effect. Without ‘caulk', ships will sink.
Dog Song by Avi Naftali
January 2, 2023 1474 words
The stability of taxonomy falters in the face of interspecies dominion.
When There Is Sugar by Leonard Richardson
December 16, 2022 1913 words
War takes things like sugar, like sons, and gives back ill-trained ovens
Figure Modeling is a Pocket Universe: A Speculative Fiction Perspective From a First-Time Figure Model by A. Nonny Sourit
December 7, 2022 2423 words
A likening of figure modeling to a portal fantasy.
Midwifery of Gods: A Primer for Mortals by Amanda Helms
December 2, 2022 1166 words
So you've been whisked away from your mortal responsibilities to attend a divine birth. It's important to be prepared.
Beneath the Crust by Phil Dyer
November 16, 2022 3599 words
How far would you go for the perfect bite?
The Restaurant of Object Permanence by Beth Goder
November 2, 2022 1100 words
Object permanence: the ability to remember objects when they are no longer in sight.
Estelle and the Cabbage's First Last Night Together by Amy Johnson
October 17, 2022 3225 words
Estelle's got a craving for hunter's stew. Which means going out and making a new (cabbage) friend.
Downstairs at Dino's by Diana Hurlburt
October 3, 2022 2859 words
When the boys come to town, the town bends to accommodate them.
A Stitch in Time, A Thousand Cuts by Murtaza Mohsin
September 16, 2022 1999 words
Ali has ten minutes, after the bomb has hit, to go back and save what's most important.
The Grammar of City Streets by Daniel Ausema
September 2, 2022 1182 words
In a city magically mapped by language, there are many paths to the same address.
Take Me To the Water by Sarah Macklin
August 15, 2022 2329 words
There's people in the water and Mama won't hear nothing of them or tell me why they feel so familiar.
Dear Joriah Kingsbane, It's Me, Eviscerix the Sword of Destiny by Alexei Collier
August 1, 2022 952 words
Sometimes a sword and its wielder just... grow apart. It might be because someone became a tyrant, and started-- Actually, who knows how or why it starts, but it's time to move on and let go and maybe find a new destiny.
Heart of a Plesiosaur by Andrew K Hoe
July 15, 2022 2592 words
There's no such thing as ghosts. It's just... animation.
Of the Duly Conducted and Mostly Unremarkable Meeting of Don Quotidene and the Giants of Andalia by A.J. Rocca
July 1, 2022 1648 words
Squire Sancha and Don Quotidene ride the land of legendary Andalia, ignoring ogre's dens and wizard's towers to balance books and collect taxes.
The Twenty-Second Lover of House Rousseau by C.M. Fields
June 20, 2022 2224 words
The house is large and rich and immortal, and its family engineers its lovers for love, loyalty, and obedience.
The Hotel Endless by Davian Aw
June 10, 2022 3217 words
At the Hotel Endless all your dreams are just one nanobot built room away.
Timecop Mojitos by Sarah Pauling
June 1, 2022 1462 words
If your roommate asks you to help hide an interdimensional time-cave from a parade of timecops, you help hide an interdimensional time-cave from a parade of timecops.
Mochi, With Teeth by Sara S. Messenger
May 23, 2022 1549 words
Despite diaspora, June attempts ancestral magic she was never taught.
The Many Taste Grooves of the Chang Family by Allison King
May 16, 2022 3516 words
Remote Mouth can help recover lost family recipes and much more!
Vegetable Mommy by Patrick Barb
May 9, 2022 585 words
After the world ends, Vegetable Mommy is there to nourish both the stomach and the soul.
A Strange and Muensterous Desire by Amanda Hollander
May 2, 2022 2162 words
Vampire romance has never been so cheesy.
She Dreams In Digital by Katie Grace Carpenter
April 22, 2022 1474 words
Interstellar AIs dream of alien forests.
21 Motes by Jonathan Louis Duckworth
April 11, 2022 3055 words
A Hyperion Signature Model .75 Cubic Meter Smart Fridge can save you from food poisoning and toxic relationships.
Food of the Turtle Gods by Josh Strnad
April 1, 2022 3012 words
In the far flung future, or perhaps the distant past, four otherworldly turtles and their rat master crave a flatbread fit for the gods.
The Assembly of Graves by Rob E. Boley
March 16, 2022 3490 words
Jeanne is haunted by her marriage to Naomi. Will one last night together in a ghostly suite be the fresh start they both so badly need?
The House Diminished by Devan Barlow
March 2, 2022 1704 words
The four of them had just made this place a home. And then it started... diminishing.
Coffee, Doughnuts, and Timeline Reverberations by Cory Swanson
February 16, 2022 3897 words
The iterations meet in the basement for coffee and donuts, to remember they live through this, that something pulls them through, even if it's just '32 showing them it's possible.
The Galactic Induction Handbook by Mark Vandersluis
February 2, 2022 862 words
Now that you've joined the galactic federation, there are a few things you should have been doing all along.
Delivery For 3C at Song View by Marie Croke
January 17, 2022 2665 words
As a food delivery driver, Dana Utepi meets all kinds of people wishing for all kinds of things. About one in fifty usually latches into her ancestral wish-granting curse.
Tides That Bind by Cislyn Smith
January 3, 2022 919 words
Modern sailors are safe from the sea, but Scylla and Charybdis aren't unhappy. They have each other and the internet to keep themselves occupied.
There Are Angels and They Are Utilitarians by Jamie Wahls
December 15, 2021 3478 words
The Greater Good had done the math a long time ago. Compassion would inevitably doom their mission.
There's an Art To It by Brian Hugenbruch
December 1, 2021 2627 words
A Poemfire, with one final library to burn, finds it will not be such an easy duty to fulfill.
Lies I Never Told You by Jaxton Kimble
November 15, 2021 3500 words
Shanna's father is psychic… at least on paper.
Forced Fields by Adam Gaylord
November 1, 2021 1325 words
A pair of skinners work the crowd, testing barriers for a victim, but that's not what the report will say. It'll be her fault, for not starving to upkeep her force field.
It's Real Meat!™ by Kurt Pankau
October 15, 2021 3177 words
It's RealMeat™ in all the ways that count.
Audio Recording Left by the CEO of the Ranvannian Colony to Her Daughter, on the Survival Imperative of Maximising Profits by Cassandra Khaw and Matt Dovey
October 1, 2021 2323 words
Wealth pushes the boundaries of everything, but especially taste.
A Guide to Snack Foods After the Apocalypse by Rachael K. Jones
September 15, 2021 4903 words
It's good to have a mission in the post-apocalypse, even if it's just a list of all the things she and Jordan have eaten. It keeps them a little less scared of the Ganglies.
Rebuttal to Reviewers' Comments On Edits For 'Demonstration of a Novel Draconification Protocol in a Human Subject' by Andrea Kriz
September 1, 2021 1316 words
What 'peer reviewers' fail to grasp is that Jane Dráček no longer one of their peers. She's bigger. Tougher. And a little fiery.
The Art and Mystery of Thea Wells by Alexandra Seidel
August 16, 2021 2926 words
Viewed chronologically, her paintings convey the seduction, betrayal, and the ultimate price of her talent.
Fermata by Sarah Fannon
August 2, 2021 2141 words
Childhood home-- it's a misnomer. She didn't have a childhood here.
Kudzu by Elizabeth Kestrel Rogers
July 16, 2021 2671 words
The kudzu is like her illness, invasive, destructive, suffocating healthy tissue with homogenous scarring. The mech is her spirit: graceful and freeing.
Along Our Perforated Creases by K.W. Colyard
July 2, 2021 2499 words
Theres a societal pressure to fold, to be smaller, less of a burden on society. It's a safety thing too-- folded women are harder targets, less intimidating, safer to approach. But times change, and people grow.
We Will Weather One Another Somehow by Kristina Ten
June 16, 2021 3054 words
Human erosion is a beautiful and tragic thing. The measure of how much someone was loved, how exposed they were to life, show in the pieces that have been worn away.
One More Angel by Monica Joyce Evans
June 2, 2021 1221 words
1.) The afterlife is real. 2.) Teleportation is murder.
Three Riddles and a Mid-Sized Sedan by Lauren Ring
May 17, 2021 3099 words
In a world where the trolley problem isn't hypothetical in the slightest, people use all kinds of tricks and rituals to survive the AI car-pocalypse.
The PILGRIM's Guide to Mars by Monique Cuillerier
May 3, 2021 1997 words
Before the explorers, there were the innovators. After the explorers came the historians. After the historians, there were the caretakers. To them all, the PILGRIMs of Mars pay their respects.
For Lack of a Bed by John Wiswell
April 16, 2021 2755 words
Noémi's new couch feels a little too good to be... good.
The Day Fair For Guys Becoming Middle Managers by Rachael K. Jones
April 2, 2021 938 words
Armond is ready to make some changes if it means he'll get promoted. Hopefully the Brads see that potential, ready to be carved out.
The Void and the Voice by Jeff Soesbe
March 15, 2021 3480 words
Father refused every chance to say goodbye, and now we're both stranded in the dark, cold vacuum of space, where all he can do is talk, and all I can do is listen.
Boom & Bust by David F. Shultz
March 1, 2021 2415 words
Capital investment is a bloody business, but as long as you keep your rights close and your automatic rifle loaded, there's a chance you can make it to nice, defensible corner office.
A Study of Sage by Kel Coleman
February 15, 2021 2512 words
It's not easy to let go of someone you loved, but maybe, with practice, it'll be easier.
Energy Power Gets What She Wants by Matt Dovey
February 1, 2021 1917 words
Energy Power, Queen of New Hell, is looking for a way to be less... epic. At least long enough for her meat-space love life to improve
Unstoned by Jason Gruber
January 15, 2021 3118 words
There's not much people know about trolls, because it was easier to simply slaughter them.
Everyone You Know is a Raven by Phil Dyer
January 1, 2021 818 words
Everyone you know is a raven, because when humans group too close together, they create unkindness.
Tony Roomba's Last Day On Earth by Maria Haskins
December 16, 2020 3035 words
Tony Roomba came to Earth to seek intergalactic domination. What he found was 1.) humans had somewhat exaggerated their robotic advancements, and 2.) the prettiest housecat in the galaxy.
My Legs Can Fell Trees' and Other Songs for a Hungry Raptor by Matthew Schickele
December 2, 2020 2456 words
Crashed on an alien planet, a raptor musician entertains the locals and occasionally eats a member of the audience.
Mama's Hand of Glory by Douglas Ford
November 16, 2020 2743 words
Mama's instructions were always... clear, and with a planchette made of her own flesh, there was no chance of anyone stopping her advice from reaching her daughter.
Many-Faced Monsters in the Backlands by Lee Chamney
November 2, 2020 3475 words
In exile, the faces begin to emerge, splitting from me as I split from the Bureacuracy, as the rivers on this strange world split from their stem.
Are You Being Severed? by Rhys Hughes
October 16, 2020 2887 words
Hasn't everyone, at some time or another, been accosted by a salesperson in the guillotine department?
A Complete Transcript of [REDACTED]'s Video Channel, In Order of Upload by Rhiannon Rasmussen
October 2, 2020 3019 words
An amateur videographer dips their toes into relaxing cooking videos.
The Last Great Rumpus by Brian Winfrey
September 20, 2020 3007 words
No one can see my dog, but he's there, making the most of his afterlife.
That Good Old Country Living by Vanessa Montalban
September 16, 2020 2166 words
The journey away from the city feels like a journey through time, to a simpler era of animals and children.
For Want of Human Parts by Casey Lucas
August 17, 2020 3401 words
So much of the world has changed, and Bone Pile can't remember much of where it came from. But the woman reminds it of something... something like home.
Finding the Center by Andrew K Hoe
August 3, 2020 3516 words
Being what other people see is a dangerous superpower. In hunting down a supervillain syndicate it can be as useful as it is degrading.
Bring the Bones That Sing by Merc Fenn Wolfmoor
July 15, 2020 3492 words
The bones appear on Grandma's porch every day, and usually Muriel does as she's told, looking but not touching.
Minutes Past Midnight by Mark Rivett
July 1, 2020 3004 words
Even with super speed and super strength and the world's most powerful telepath in her head, she knows she's too late. The Missiles have launched. Millions are going to die, but maybe she can still save billions.
The Automatic Ballerina by Michael Milne
June 22, 2020 2367 words
It knows the audience doesn't believe in the possibility of a robotic soul, but Cassia is still going to give them performance of a lifetime.
Open House on Haunted Hill by John Wiswell
June 15, 2020 3015 words
133 Poisonwood is tired of vacancy. It's trying its best to impress, trying to show its visitors it's more than a house. It'd give them all the magic it could muster, if they'd just call it a home.
Synner and the Rise of the Rebel Queen by Phoebe Wagner
May 15, 2020 2822 words
The boards were made by the gangs in the slums, where the gods curse the sinners to live. Riding is for rooftop raids on the rich, not the royal brats of evil kings.
Everything Important in One Cardboard Box by Jaxton Kimble
May 1, 2020 2525 words
Roderick has slowly been changing Max for the better, cleaner, and emptier.
On You and Your Husband's Appointment at the Reverse-Crematorium by Bill Ferris
April 15, 2020 2283 words
There's not a lot of paperwork involved in resurrecting a loved one... but there's more chicken wire than you'd expect.
A Promise of Dying Embers by Jordan Kurella
April 1, 2020 3354 words
High on the Mountain of Three Seasons, Itta learned everything she could about how to kill dragons.
The Old Ones, Great and Small by Rajiv Moté
March 16, 2020 2845 words
The was a time when the Old Ones roamed the Earth, driving us to insanity with fear of the unknown. And then we caught them. And then we tamed them.
The Eat Me Drink Me Challenge by Chris Kuriata
March 2, 2020 2561 words
The magic of Eat Me Drink Me, once freed from the confines of the cold war and sexual escapades, took the spotlight in a dangerous new internet challenge.
The Cliff of Hands by Joanne Rixon
February 17, 2020 2861 words
A routine milestone for the rest of her hatchery is a nearly deadly obstacle for Eešan, but she will Fly the Hand, even if she has only one working wing.
Invasion of the Water Towers by R.D. Landau
February 3, 2020 855 words
On the day the water towers invaded, I was in a coffee shop, trying not to flirt with one very heroic barista.
Gorilla in the Streets by Mari Ness
January 20, 2020 3442 words
It's not easy to meet Magot Stanton, the gorilla of Wall Street. He works 24/7, even with his banana-peeling assistants to streamline his workflow.
Beldame by Nickolas Furr
January 10, 2020 2814 words
Aiden is on long uncomfortable road trip (taking a risky chance on a new boyfriend) when his bus stops in a small mysterious town, at an intersection of two worlds.
This Is What the Boogeyman Looks Like by T.J. Berg
January 1, 2020 1374 words
The boogeyman looks a lot like everything Aiden's been running from, from the moment it snatched his brother.
The Problem From Jamaica Plain by Marie L. Vibbert
December 16, 2019 3492 words
People don't just fall down and become babies again, and if they did, there would be quite a lot of paperwork.
Consequences of a Statistical Approach Towards a Utilitarian Utopia: A Selection of Potential Outcomes by Matt Dovey
December 2, 2019 1201 words
Tour a world where no one is allowed to fall behind or above the standard deviation of happiness.
The Train to Wednesday by Steven Fischer
November 15, 2019 3364 words
Charlie's just trying to get to Wednesday, but the temporal train is running late.
Consider the Monsters by Beth Cato
November 1, 2019 876 words
In the hours before the sky is scheduled to fall, little Jakayla spreads the word and offers shelter to everyone she can think of.
Save the God Damn Pandas by Anaea Lay
October 16, 2019 2999 words
Giving pandas the ability to speak should have made their extinction easier to avoid. Instead, Lan Lan is find new ways to frustrate his sex therapist.
Tracing an Original Thought by Novae Caelum
October 2, 2019 2783 words
The trick to freedom is never having an original thought.
Fresh Dates by D.A. Xiaolin Spires
September 20, 2019 3079 words
The vending machine taunts Vishaljeet with dates, offering up regurgitated assimilations when he tries to buy nostalgia.
Dear Parents, Your Child is Not the Chosen One by P.G. Galalis
September 11, 2019 2243 words
You can't really aspire to be a chosen one, but some parents seem to like arguing with fate.
Empathy Bee by Forrest Brazeal
September 2, 2019 2099 words
When implants and augmentations make information accessible at the twitch of an eye, a new kind of competition is born.
Colonized Bodies, Desiccated Souls by Nin Harris
August 16, 2019 3212 words
Everything he did, he did to make a home for Salmah.
The Inspiration Machine by K.S. Dearsley
August 2, 2019 945 words
Creativity isn't exactly something you can fake until you make... or is it?
Lies of the Desert Fathers by Stewart Moore
July 15, 2019 3547 words
In a monastery of surgically reformed monks, the abbot is found murdered. Now it's up to Doctor Abigail Wainwright to figure out who did it and fix them before the police get involved.
Little Empire of Lakelore by D.A. Xiaolin Spires
July 1, 2019 1937 words
Many problems plague the Little Empire of Lakelore. Fortunately, the solutions are easily decreed.
Bootleg Jesus by Tonya Liburd
June 17, 2019 2872 words
There was no reason why magic didn't manifest here, but if it did, why would it stay?
The Ceiling of the World by Nicole Crucial
June 3, 2019 1907 words
Coming to the city from a small town, Margaret expected to grow.
Dogwood Stories by Nicole Givens Kurtz
May 15, 2019 2872 words
Sadie loves her momma's stories of the dogwoods. She loves the history of them-- that they'd seen so much blood and unfairness, and knew what it was to be free from it.
What the Sea Reaps, We Must Provide by Eleanor R. Wood
May 1, 2019 827 words
For the town to prosper, the sea demands a sacrifice.
One Part Per Billion by Samantha Mills
April 15, 2019 3393 words
The aliens wanted to meet us, all of us, yet we could only send eight. As diverse a sample of our best and brightest as our divided world could supply.
Why Aren't Millennials Continuing Traditional Worship of the Elder Dark? by Matt Dovey
April 1, 2019 2105 words
Worship of the ancient Watchers is at an all-time low, leading many to believe that the unknowable entities of madness are just one generational dimension from our world.
The Last Death by Sahara Frost
March 15, 2019 3072 words
Death comes, at last, to collect its final soul.
Heaven For Everyone by Aimee Ogden
March 1, 2019 1861 words
When we opened heaven's gates, god came flooding out.
How Rigel Gained a Rabbi (Briefly) by Benjamin Blattberg
February 15, 2019 3294 words
Faith (and the onboard AI) diverts Rabbi Dov Applebaum from his course to Orion Station to answer a distress beacon
Local Senior Celebrates Milestone by Matthew Claxton
February 1, 2019 2014 words
It's nice to have visitors, but it would be nicer still if they were her species.
The Dictionary For Dreamers by Cislyn Smith
January 21, 2019 2141 words
A dictionary of dreamlike definitions you never knew you needed, and will never fully understand.
The Man Whose Left Arm Was a Cat by Jennifer Lee Rossman
January 11, 2019 3185 words
Thomas's life was exceedingly beige, which is why Wendiie is so fascinating.
The Divided Island by Rhys Hughes
January 2, 2019 925 words
There are two societies on this island, lawed and lawless, each with its own set of recursive zoos.
For the Last Time, It's Not a Ray Gun by Anaea Lay
December 17, 2018 2865 words
Connor's not sure if Kayla knows they're datng. He's never been very good at dealing with emotions. Turns out, they sort of have that in common.
The Hammer's Prayer by Benjamin C. Kinney
December 3, 2018 3291 words
Jakob Haskel picked the most artless place imaginable, toiling away the beautiful temptations of life.
The Coal Remembers What It Was by Paul R. Hardy
November 16, 2018 2930 words
The coal doesn't need a memorial or museum. It remembers.
The Memory Cookbook by Aaron Fox-Lerner
November 2, 2018 2060 words
Be careful not to let any bitterness into your memory, no matter how much The Consumer has taken from you. It will not pair well with anything else on the menu.
Still Life With Grave Juice by Jim Moss
October 15, 2018 2896 words
Some alien customs are just so.. bizarre. Humans, for instance-- did you know they eat their dead?
Pumpkin and Glass by Sean R. Robinson
October 1, 2018 1873 words
Prince Charming hears mice in the walls, and everything Cinderella has is making it worse.
The Fisher in the Yellow Afternoon by Michael Anthony Ashley
September 17, 2018 3235 words
A soul slips through the jaws of the death bear, and desperately tries to find a way back to life.
Glass in Frozen Time by M.K. Hutchins
September 3, 2018 1082 words
With the ability to stop time, control is easy to achieve, at least in her own home. The house can be perfect. Her daughter can be safe.
The Vegan Apocalypse: 50 Years Later by Benjamin A. Friedman
August 15, 2018 3660 words
Sit down with a McFleshy™ and imbibe this cautionary tale about the dangers of foresaking the legacy of The Great Meat Makers.
Medium Matters by R.K. Duncan
August 1, 2018 2331 words
If you find yourself with a ghost stalker, you have a few options.
Jesus and Dave by Jennifer Lee Rossman
July 16, 2018 2726 words
Jesus turns up on the doorstep of Dave-the-atheist's door with a couple of angels and a simple request.
Crimson Hour by Jesse Sprague
July 2, 2018 2480 words
The hero, having sacrificed an innocent to kill a unicorn, feasts with the grateful villagers. Or maybe there's more to the story.
Withholding Judgment Day by Ryan Dull
June 15, 2018 3282 words
According to Luke, Christ will return and end the world precisely at the moment no one expects him to, creating the need for an order of Expectant Monks to delay his arrival.
Tank! by John Wiswell
June 1, 2018 1034 words
A meet-cute between a tank and a couple of much-needed friends.
Graduation in the Time of Yog-Sothoth by James Van Pelt
May 16, 2018 3352 words
Maybe cliques aren't that different from cults, and graduating isn't so different from disappearing into the multidimensional ether. Honestly, the chaos of the eldritch gods hasn't changed much about high school.
May 2, 2018 2418 words
A thorough and engaging report on the efficacy of cheese-based divination, unfortunately inconvenienced by plague rats and overzealous assistants.
Her February Face by Christie Yant
April 16, 2018 2865 words
Elena keeps her smiles shuttered, her heart locked away. Until she met Ivy, who danced in the rain.
Giant Robot and the Infinite Sunset by Derrick Boden
April 2, 2018 1001 words
Giant Robot wanders the battlefield, looking for something to fill the emptiness inside its titanium chassis
Soft Clay by Seth Chambers
March 16, 2018 2932 words
She's no one, but if you want to see someone, she can be anyone.
What Monsters Prowl Above the Waves by Jo Miles
March 2, 2018 1255 words
The void above the waves holds mystery, adventure, and strange, hungry, lonely creatures.
Artful Intelligence by G.H. Finn
February 16, 2018 3493 words
Once the intrepid inventor Minerva Wilde had created Artful Intelligence, it promptly abandoned scientific progress and turned to her brother Henry for more… theological studies.
Brooklyn Fantasia by Marcy Arlin
January 15, 2018 2258 words
A griffin, a sentient rock, and a semi-corporeal dream-eater face eviction. Eating the landlord didn't exactly solve the problem.
Six Hundred Universes of Jenny Zars by Wendy Nikel
January 1, 2018 2010 words
It's only when she reaches her apartment that Jenny realizes she's in the wrong universe. To find her way back, she has to figure out just how wrong this life went after Dougie's party.
The Leviathans Have Fled the Sea by Jon Lasser
December 15, 2017 2686 words
Once all the whales were gone, the sailors and their airships began a new kind of hunt.
Hakim Vs. the Sweater Curse by Rachael K. Jones
December 1, 2017 1044 words
Kit's anniversary gift is so moving. I mean, quite literally... moving.
Shoots and Ladders by Charles Payseur
November 15, 2017 2451 words
The grass is always greener in another universe.
When One Door Shuts by Aimee Ogden
November 1, 2017 2259 words
No one knows where the doors come from, only that they offer a trade. A life for a life. And everyone's waiting for Mia to take that offer.
Three Days of Unnamed Silence by Daniel Ausema
October 16, 2017 2871 words
A promising young academic pursuing his doctorate suddenly finds himself without a name, reduced to the power his body can create for its society.
Lightning Dance by Tamlyn Dreaver
October 2, 2017 1611 words
Superheroes are a lot less complicated when you're young.
The Entropy of a Small Town by Thomas K. Carpenter
September 15, 2017 2468 words
Some processes, like trading memories for car parts, are irreversible, and some, like loving Osmund, cannot be stabilized. That's just entropy.
Strung by Xinyi Wang
September 1, 2017 2030 words
If you're born in the Old Man's land, he'll put a string around your ankle and tie you to your soulmate. It's a blessing to be so certain of your destiny, and a curse to wonder, always, when destiny might part you from the love you chose.
Typical Heroes by Theo Kogod
August 16, 2017 3396 words
The battles for earth keep escalating, but non-supers just keep living paycheck to paycheck through the apocalypses.
For Now, Sideways by Merc Fenn Wolfmoor
August 2, 2017 1474 words
This planet was supposed to be a home, a utopia for families and accountants. And then came the birdfall.
The Shadow Over His Mouth by Aidan Doyle
July 17, 2017 2709 words
A descendant of Lovecraft and fan of eldritch lore blogs his gourmet travel across Eastern Europe, ignoring all ill-portents and mysterious disappearances along the way.
Monster of the Soup Cans by Elizabeth Barron
July 3, 2017 869 words
The scientist created a monster the other day. At least, for now, it seems content with the kitchen cupboard.
Regarding the Robot Raccoons Attached to the Hull of My Ship by Rachael K. Jones and Khaalidah Muhammad-Ali
June 16, 2017 5963 words
Two sisters squabble through the stars, resuming their rivalry through racoons, emails, and terraforming nukes.
The Existentialist Men by Gwendolyn Clare
June 2, 2017 576 words
Meet a group of friends and their sometimes-convenient powers.
The Aunties Return the Ocean by Chris Kuriata
May 15, 2017 3489 words
When the aunties tore apart and stole the ocean, they didn't reckon with how they might put it back.
The Things You Should Have Been by Andrea G. Stewart
May 1, 2017 830 words
Lei Wong could have been anything, and no one knows that better than his mother.
The Long Pilgrimage of Sister Judith by Paul Starkey
April 17, 2017 3511 words
Dedication- Deceleration- Destination-- the mantra of the interstellar faithful on the way to their new home. But for maven-elect Sister Judith, faith has never been about their destination.
O Stone, Be Not So by José Pablo Iriarte
April 3, 2017 1109 words
There's a symmetry to life, but when your child suddenly starts living backwards, the sides don't seem so balanced.
Bloody Therapy by Suzan Palumbo
March 1, 2017 1508 words
Say Bloody Mary three times in the mirror and she'll appear. What you do with her next isn't as well understood.
The Avatar In Us All by J.D. Carelli
February 1, 2017 1934 words
He's too old to visit... he'd just be in the way... tickets are so expensive... and her work is so busy... Even his daughter's android avatar is starting to question his excuses.
Curl Up and Dye by Tina Gower
January 2, 2017 1181 words
It's not easy, working through the tangles, and sometimes the knots are... deeper.
The Schismatic Element Aboard Continental Drift by Lee Budar-Danoff
December 2, 2016 2002 words
As the captain orbits the ship above their new home and adjusting to the stillness of their new stars, a religious revival begins to stir among the passengers.
The Banshee Behind Beamon's Bakery by Khaalidah Muhammad-Ali
November 2, 2016 547 words
Most nights, the alley is just an alley, but on the ninth of November, it belongs to the banshee.
October's Wedding of the Month by Emma McDonald
October 3, 2016 1763 words
Everyone that survived the ceremony agreed: it really was the perfect wedding.
Do Not Question the University by PC Keeler
September 2, 2016 1277 words
If you give the University no reason to question you, it may consider you worthy of an education.
Sustaining Memory by Coral Moore
August 1, 2016 1967 words
One by one, her memories fade into the machine, sacrificed to a purpose she no longer recognizes... but the last bead... it's one she might sacrifice all the others to keep.
Future Fragments, Six Seconds Long by Alex Shvartsman
July 1, 2016 777 words
Six seconds of a future is usually not much to look at, but today seems... different.
The Weight of Kanzashi by Joshua Gage
June 1, 2016 559 words
Astronauts are only allowed 650 grams worth of personal items. 650 grams of home.
Further Arguments in Support of Yudah Cohen's Proposal to Bluma Zilberman by Rebecca Fraimow
May 2, 2016 1514 words
A letter of proposal that offers first trust, and then, of course, love.
The Blood Tree War by Daniel Ausema
April 1, 2016 1249 words
Blood trees feed on battles, competing with each other for the strength of those sacrificed to their soil.
One's Company by Davian Aw
March 2, 2016 1181 words
On a deserted planet, the party begins with with one weary office worker looking to unwind.
May Dreams Shelter Us by Kate O'Connor
February 1, 2016 1975 words
Earth is shattered, and all that's left are a crew of unprepared scientists, a generation of unborn children, and a dream of hope.
The Osteomancer's Husband by Henry Szabranski
January 1, 2016 1172 words
Everyone loved her, until his mask slipped, and they saw what she'd done to save him.
St. Roomba's Gospel by Rachael K. Jones
December 2, 2015 982 words
The little vacuum cleaner listens to every sermon. Taking communion from crumbs and spills, its faith is unshakeable.
Giraffe Cyborg Cleans House! by Matthew Sanborn Smith
November 2, 2015 1983 words
A cybernetic giraffe isn't really the best fit for the kitchen.
The Grave Can Wait by Thomas Berubeg
October 2, 2015 2207 words
Old James McGrath ain't one to take death lying down.
A Room for Lost Things by Chloe N. Clark
September 1, 2015 1559 words
Rose's niece is almost eerily normal, until she talked about the door.
The Superhero Registry by Adam Gaylord
July 29, 2015 896 words
Working customer service for newly endowed superheroes shouldn't be as tedious as this guy is making it.
Not a Bird by H.E. Roulo
July 1, 2015 971 words
With all the modifications they've made, she's not sure if she deserves to be called a mother.
The Princess in the Basement by Hope Erica Schultz
June 1, 2015 974 words
There's a princess who sleeps with a monster under her bed, and a curse that can be broken with just the right tools.
In Memoriam by Rachel Reddick
May 1, 2015 988 words
It will take many generations of travelers to settle a new home, and many of their stories will be lost in the desert.
Virtual Blues by Lee Budar-Danoff
March 31, 2015 1999 words
Trying to find his way back to the 'net, Sal picks up gig after gig, playing music in the gaps between the audiences' playlists.
Taste the Whip by Andy Dudak
March 1, 2015 1675 words
After centuries of space travel, the ship Parvati yearns for a return to the simplicity of human bondage.