A New Kind of Literary Pulse

Monday

“That’s my chair.”

The old man stood before the girl and adjusted the blanket draped over his arm. Mocha-schmocha something swirled around him and everyone else in the coffee ...  [+]

I smell the spices on the skin of the young man in the window seat next to me, the acrid odour of fear permeating his shabby robes. Essences of unbelonging.
His anxiety unnerves me. I hate myself ...  [+]

Mama used to tell me greed was for the dogs, but it went in one ear and poured from the other. Now look at me, slobbering all over this brown woolly coat of hair while barking at every creepy sound I ...  [+]

I sat on the shaking wooden bench of the ship watching everyone else dance and drink. All my friends made me go with them on this cheap “cruise”. In reality it was an old creaky boat the people from ...  [+]

Kenny approached his midterm exam with all the confidence his older sister had whenever she paraded into a dressing room with size 4 jeans. It was the Monday after spring break, and Kenny's professo ...  [+]

Aaron cares for much less than hope could ask for. There is a leash tugging a collar of a tag with his name on it. There are the subtle communications he gives with a pull to keep me keeping up with ...  [+]

Colleen sat in the window seat of the second row of first class, watching the jet bridge tremble slightly each time a passenger stepped from it onto the aircraft.
Four hours earlier, as she was ...  [+]

The faded white of my bedroom walls filled my vision as I awoke in a cold sweat. The street lights outside causing me an uneasy feeling. No matter how many attempts I made to escape this hellish place ...  [+]

The imagination is a wild and wonderful place. It helps you envision the world in a beautiful array of colors, sounds, tastes, textures, and smells. It helps you see the world like no one else. Even ...  [+]

“I am here today to see you off. I myself am too old now for this trip, too old and too far afield from most people. I was mainstream once, back when my age was less than the number of countries in ...  [+]

It was the summer of 1944, nearly two years after the occupation began, when we received permission from the Office of the Military Governor to leave the city. As soon as my father had the official ...  [+]

.......5 hours Earlier......

I was jolted awake by an incessant banging. My eyes popped open as I struggled to remember which day it was.
“Hey V, let’s go!” Marissa’s boisterous tone ...  [+]

As soon as I go outside the cold bites every bit of my exposed skin.
“Two minutes away.” My dad reports on the distance of our rideshare.
I can’t wait to get inside. As soon as it arrives, I ...  [+]

The sound of the clock ticking was deafening compared to the otherwise silent room. The door, that had once seemed strong and resistant, now felt paper thin. The darkness consumed the furniture ...  [+]

I am a balloon. I am born without anything inside-Ideas, opinions, choice. As years progress I am inflated with more. I soar the more I am filled with knowledge. Eventually I am off the ground. I am ...  [+]

She already felt like a terrible daughter. She didn't call regularly. She didn't visit. She hadn't really spoken to her parents since she moved out. That was years ago. She knew her two younge ...  [+]

I watch my sister as she tries to hack her way out of the oppression we are facing. The footsteps in the hall get quieter. They are listening for her typing.

“Sis!” I hiss. “Type quietly!” ...  [+]

Once upon a time, 11:30 to be exact. A decision was made. One that would change the course of history forever. Amadeus didn’t pick up lunch. Oh, and two hyper-nuclear reactors in the mariana trench ...  [+]