My brother Jake always wanted to be an actor, it was his passion. In fact, he had just graduated from university with a degree in the arts, and was searching for a job. Last week, he asked me to take him to an audition for a new children’s show, “Morgan’s Morgue”, which is one of…
It’s about 9:35 at night. The show on your TV is silent, the volume turned down. Maybe you’re one of those people that has to have a static noise and picture, even when listening to or watching something else. The living room light is on. Two of the five bulbs have burnt out. The one…
The Engineer sat quietly in his chair, hands folded in his lap, staring at the blank walls of his office. It was almost time to press the button. That was his job. Every hour on the hour from nine to five he would press the button. He didn’t even know what it did. Four years…
Paige woke up at 11pm. Just a second before, her alarm clock had roused obnoxiously from its silence – neon red numericals Vegas-bright in her room. As usual when she woke, she thought excitedly about her babies. Even though she had never given birth, they were still her babies. On the weekly rota there was…
A man’s shift at the flour mill ended, and a woman approached to speak with him. He noticed sand in her hair and brushed it off. She blushed, dipping her head, embarrassed but thankful. The woman, a Scottish lass whose name she did not give, walked home with the man, admiring his work and how…
They say your dreams can take you to all sorts of places, but what if those places actually existed? We know so little about our world, our universe, and ourselves. Many of us cannot even control where we’re going in this life. Although most of us dream freely and even awaken to find that we…
My older brother is a cop. Naturally, he has a protective instinct over me, his little, only, sister. The cop factor does not help. I was always babied by my family, but me and Greg, my brother, always had a closer bond. Whenever one of my other brothers picked on me, he would get super…
Thomson stepped out of the old police cruiser and on to the still damp side walk. The smell of rain hung in the air, accentuating the already acrid smell that permanently hung over the town. (That’s what we get for being a coastal city), Thomson thought to himself as he lit a cigarette and headed…
It might happen one morning that you wake up home alone. This could be normal depending on your situation, but this morning will be different. While your environment will all seem exactly the same, you’ll notice that everything is quieter than normal. If you go outside, you will notice a distinct lack of anything like…
You’re working alone in the office late one night when you hear the old fax machine start running. Surprised, you go to check what has printed to see a photo of the building you are working in taken from across the street with your office light the only one on. The photo is time stamped…
Stay calm. You know, I never actually thought about this, but I really need to type this since typing always calmed me down, even if only slightly. As you suspected, I typed this because, well, I’m feeling kind of nervous for no apparent reason, but I think I know why. I have this weird feeling…
I guess I’ll start off with the mundane introduction as to who I am and why I’m telling you this. They want me to hide my identity, so just call me E. I’m currently 16 years old and I’m on holiday in the Philippines. My mum was Filipina. As a result, we spent most summers…
Ever since you were a child, you were terribly afraid of your bathroom. You don’t know why, but, whenever you would see your bathroom door during nighttime, you would be invaded by an overwhelming sensation of unease. You developed a habit out of locking your bathroom’s door before going to sleep. You would never rest…
It seemed especially hot there in the middle of a mass of vehicles of all shapes and sizes, from all around the country. It was a miniature city of heat and exhaust fumes within the city itself. Not the most wonderful place in the world, but then, the morning commute never was. I was slightly…
“There lies a darker world under us. An eversion of all there is. Though, I wonder if that place is more real than ours…” -Unknown I wake up to darkness. I might as well not have woken up, considering that closing your eyes has the same effect… I move the palm of my hands in…
“Getting laid is overrated anyways. My first time was the quintessential fantasy. An older quirky party girl who would show me the ropes. It was awkward and fumbling and we kept clacking our teeth together. You know what I got out of it? HPV,” my friend Eduardo said with a rousing laugh that drew the…
You come into possession of an old box. Inside are several glass vials filled with dirt, dust and tiny bits of gravel or cement. The vials are labeled with places and dates such as “Port Chicago 7/17/44”, “Halifax 7/6/17” and “Guernica 7/17/36”. A trip to the library confirms that all are dates of massive loss…
One day, I was walking home from school. I only lived about a block away, so that was easy. But as I was walking home one day, I saw something peaking out of the sand. It was a little grey videogame cart. It had to be for the old gameboys, or maybe the gameboy colors….
Toby Mills winced as he felt the soft ground give way under his foot. He had stepped in a cow pie, ruining his brand new Armani loafers. “Son of a…,” he said under his breath. Toby swiped at the shoe with his new handkerchief as he swayed and bounced on one foot. “Maybe trying to…
Get on any passenger bus that travels a long distance; Greyhound is usually a good pick. Anything that’s on the road for longer than 24 hours. Get a window seat facing west, then stare at the sun, waiting until sunset. Just before the sun touches the horizon, close your eyes. Hard. Do not turn away,…
Rumor had called this section in the vast city where I found my dwelling Old Hope, and it was often said that dreams of industrializing and modernizing the untamed Western coast had been rooted here by humble Americans. Those of the past had toiled under the hot sun shedding blood and tears to erect the…
Television always depicted older siblings to be a guardian, a protector, even a hero to their kin. I wish that was the case with Angie, my sister. I’ve always been the one to take care of and more importantly listen to my sister. Our mother always assumed she just wasn’t as mentally caught up with…
“Houston, come in. This is UN Space Station Libra. Come in, Houston.” No reply, just like every other time. I throw the receiver in disgust, the weightless environment causing it to float mockingly in front of my face at the end of its retention strap. I’m bathed in the soft red glow of emergency lights…
“All a skeptic is is someone who hasn’t had an experience yet.” — Jason Hawes“Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.” — Stephen King Clinking and clanging filled the room, coming from finished plates and drinking glasses. As supper was ending, friends and family of the…