Read stories written by talented authors from around the globe.

A decade of friendship, a bond that was strong, Through ups and downs, we’ve been together long. Special gifts exchanged, memories we shared, In moments of sorrow, I knew that he cared. But then a new spark flickered online, A woman on TikTok, a shift in the line. Suddenly silence where laughter once reigned, The calls and the messages, all but unchained. He never explained, just vanished from view, Leaving me wondering w...

Chapter Seven May 1926 On the walk to his office from his packed club below, Sterling was in a fine mood, thinking about the last few months. A loving wife on his arm. A booming business. More dough than he could spend. Then, he opened the door and froze at the sight before him. A raven-haired woman, adorned in a green silk dress stretched over her perfect body, stood with her back to him. If he hadn’t just seen his wife...

Welcome to "The Roaring Twenties" — a time of Prohibition, prostitution, and social change. Little did the lawmakers know that banning alcohol would increase criminal activity and bring wealth to bootleggers in places like New York City. Chapter One August 25th, 1926 Storm clouds gathered in the sky, perhaps foreshadowing the darkening mood of moneyed club owner Mr. Sterling Rossini, sitting behind his richly-carved mahog...

After the flames died out, only the ash remained. Specs snowed down slowly onto my body as I stood in the barren remnant of my past. My burning eyes searched for anything salvageable amongst the wreckage, praying for a partly scorched photograph or even a burnt wooden beam yet only the ash remained. Days cascaded into weeks and bled into months as I stayed stuck in stasis. My rage pummeled away a little of the residue. My...

At bedtime, Daddy smells like cigarettes. He smokes one out in the garage every night after supper. Mommy calls it his filthy habit. He doesn’t let me go out there with him. He tells me to never, ever smoke. If I start smoking, it’ll never let me go. That’s what Daddy says. Mommy smells like bubbles. She does the dishes after we eat, while Daddy is smoking his cigarette. That what she smells like: the soap from the dishes...

When I’m drowning, they are distant and skeptical When I’m sailing, they gather to observe the spectacle My cheeks used to be made of roses, my pupils were once starred How did I become just a chew toy to use and discard? They don’t savour their words, they just spit them Basking smugly in the fruits of their mayhem I love them when they don’t, they disgust me when they do I am cast to play both the vixen and the shrew Th...

1 THE TERRIBLE TIGERS “Ouch,” said Gavin as he fell to the ground. He slowly got up, rubbing his arm. I’m never going to catch the ball, he thought, feeling defeated. Gavin and the rest of the Willow Elementary School Tigers football team practiced on the field behind their school. “Team! What is going on?” yelled Coach Jackson. “You’re playing more like kittens than tigers! No one is tackling anybody, and no one is catch...

1 THE ASSIGNMENT The bell rang at Willow Elementary School. Gavin and his classmates bumped into each other, trying to reach their seats. Miss Sweets, their history teacher, walked in, dressed in her usual flowery dress. Her curly hair was pulled back from her face in a gold barrette, showing off her bright blue eyes and contagious smile. The kids loved her because she was very kind and made history fun. “Hello, sweet pea...

1 THE BULLY Gavin slowly poked his head through the bush and looked both ways. Where did he go? thought Gavin. I hope I lost him. “Gavin the Goober! Gavin the Goober!” yelled Tommy. “Time to pay up!” Oh no, he’s still after me. Tommy stood just a few feet away with fists clenched and a snarl on his face. He was the meanest kid in the whole fourth grade, maybe even all of Willow Elementary! He liked to take lunch money fro...

1971, New York City I scraped the heel of my boot on the concrete, afraid to look at what I’d stepped in on the dimly lit street that smelled of piss and booze. Sounds came from the shadows and crevices even a cop wouldn’t dare investigate. And especially that night, I kept my head down and walked with purpose, something I’d learned when venturing into the city's seedy underbelly. West 42nd Street was part of my beat, and...

1 THE TERRIBLE TIGERS “Ouch,” said Gavin as he fell to the ground. He slowly got up, rubbing his arm. I’m never going to catch the ball, he thought, feeling defeated. Gavin and the rest of the Willow Elementary School Tigers football team practiced on the field behind their school. “Team! What is going on?” yelled Coach Jackson. “You’re playing more like kittens than tigers! No one is tackling anybody, and no one is catch...

At bedtime, Daddy smells like cigarettes. He smokes one out in the garage every night after supper. Mommy calls it his filthy habit. He doesn’t let me go out there with him. He tells me to never, ever smoke. If I start smoking, it’ll never let me go. That’s what Daddy says. Mommy smells like bubbles. She does the dishes after we eat, while Daddy is smoking his cigarette. That what she smells like: the soap from the dishes...

Victor's first act of survival was completed out of sight of his forever family. It must have happened sometime during the year or so he had been alive. But that history was lost in the mists of time. Puppy time is mistier than people's time. In any case, he was a stray. And he had been sent to the shelter to wonder what the whole thing was about. It was in the colorful days of October when he got lucky. His Boss-to-be ha...

She did this every year, so the call came as no surprise. In fact, I had been expecting it for the last few days. The only surprise was that it took so long. I was sitting with my wife having our coffee after dinner when the phone rang. As I got up to answer, my wife gave me a knowing glance but did not say a word. It was as if we both knew instinctively. “Hello.” I started into the phone, “Oh, hi Mom. Yeah, I’d been expe...

I came so far for Beauty And she took me down many roads Confident and Proud, up on the high;Broken and Humbled, down in the low I traveled so far for Beauty, Found myself a long way from home Digging graves in the moonlight--I buried my heart alone I sacrificed for her, my BeautyI held Isaac to the altarHer praise I thought she'd give meKnife in hand, I did not falter.Although, pleasure came from BeautyHer laurels I was...

Crunching my way through the woods,I am surrounded by crisp silence...And then, close by, a sound...a whispered sob.When I find you, you are on the ground, shaking.When I move toward you, your fear and your exhaustion are at war.Your exhaustion wins out and you surrender to my hands.I hold you as if you were as delicate as you are,careful not to make any sudden movements.You are wounded...your wing was broken.It was a gru...

He leans back on the bed watching over the top of his book as she sits at the dressing table, unpinning her hair. I like the way your breasts rise when you raise your arms over your head, he thinks. But it does not arouse me as it did in those early days. Each pin removed allows a few more strands to fall from the tightly coiled bun.  She tilts her head to one side allowing the brush to stroke freely. The tendons at the s...

What is dying Mommie?Will all of me cease to be?Of all that I am and all that I've been,Is there nothing left of me?I believe in Heaven Mommie and think that's where I'll be.When you come Mommie, please try, oh try and find me.  I am not sure exactly when Katy wrote this heartbreaking poem and only found out about it today, (6/27/17). My mother discovered it in Katy's room about a week after Katy passed and felt it would...