Throughout history, the powerful neighbors occupied the land on which stood Soviet-dominated Czechoslovakia of my youth. Its people had a long history of pain and heartbreak. The Soviet occupation was nothing new. Perhaps it was the ability to put our …
The heatwave chokes down on another endless day. Somehow, when we open the windows, the air in the flat becomes even heavier.
We both gave up smoking soon after we got together – it was one of those positive, proactive …
Vera eased into consciousness after, finally, a decent night’s sleep, her first sensation the feel of Phil’s arm close to her side, not touching but close enough that she could feel its radiant warmth. The familiar pleasure too quickly gave …
Stars. Inky blotches where God dips quills. What’s He scribbling?
Archit Joshi is an author from India who loves writing character-driven stories. He loves words and is constantly amazed at the things one can do with them. He writes …
He gave her everything he had – it was never enough.
Nerisha Kemraj resides in Durban, South Africa with her husband and two mischievous daughters. While poetry has been a love since high school, she began writing short stories in …
Wembley Fraggle watched from the pillow end of the bed as the boy unfolded the tissue-thin paper. The print was tiny and a bitten fingernail tracked along a particularly fine polysyllabic word. The boy mouthed it to himself in precisely …
I walked with my son Jay, who was back for a month to visit me in Osaka during his summer vacation from college in the US, by the cramped shop with the sizzling wok that sold deep-fried maple leaves at …
Walking through the door to the board member’s party, Tom is immediately drawn to the host’s sixteen-year-old son, who’s giving a small crowd in the corner of the room the full “jet fuel can’t melt steel beams.” His prey’s eyes …
I loved to dress up as a princess and parade in front of Dad. But when I was five, he walked out on my mother and me.
Mom worked in a bakery during the day and as a waitress at …
My mother, though a registered nurse, fractured the English language to the delight of some and the embarrassment of others. Swedish was her first language. My father, though a machinist, enjoyed wordplay and spoke English rather well. He, too, was …