A New Kind of Literary Pulse

Macy was trying to run through the sweaty, claustrophobic crowd. There were too many people to be spotted or cared about. You could become anyone in this crowd—or no one at all.

There were ... [+]

Mallory showed up around February, maybe the end of January. Whenever it was, it was like 2 weeks after Piper left. My mom had this planned for a few months I think, but they never said anything about ... [+]

The rain fell in sheets, obscuring all but the road directly in front of me. As my fingers fumble to tie my horse, I can feel the damp cold worming its way through my overcloak and into my bones. I ... [+]

My father used to tell me stories to help me sleep, about the mandrakes and the golems and the nymphs. The stories always ended the same way—don't mess with things you don't know about. He warned me ... [+]

Once again another contender wishes to chance his luck. Every day it seems that an ill-fated man steps up to the starting line trying to win my hand in marriage. Despite the fact that I can outrun ... [+]

I was perched on a bench outside Burge Residence Hall in an effort to look as pretentious as possible. My old friend Amelia called me as I read a book of poetry with my legs daintily crossed, my coat ... [+]

"You want some dinner, Jon?"
Jon threw up on the only living shrub in this godforsaken desert. It didn't deserve to be soaked in scarlet puke.
"We have plenty of food."
"Gods!" Jon moaned. ... [+]

As Joe arrived at the train yard, he could think only of his wet socks. The fierce rain had covered every inch of his body, and he didn't bring a change of clothes. Joe stood a few hundred yards ahead ... [+]

"Get a hold of yourself, Lucas." David Freeman, my benefactor put his hand on my shoulders.
"Have I told you not to enter the lab without my permission? I thought we had an understanding." I ... [+]

I try not to stay in here for long. It's better to be in and out, to forget the ugly side of it. All around me, advanced biotech glass jars line the shelves, crowded together as much as possible. The ... [+]

The half crescent moon hung in the dark sky like a fishhook in deep water. Its luster was radiant and every cloud in the sky seemed to avoid its lure. The dark clouds' dim grimace paled in comparison ... [+]

28th March, Tuesday afternoon again. The girl comes, sitting in the front of the classroom. She wears a white dress today with a long sleeve coat. She looks so weak, she always wears a long sleeve ... [+]

The night before Jen touched down on Earth, I was holed up in Rachel's bedroom in Houston. We had both made a valiant, fruitless effort to sleep; now it was three in the morning. Sometime around one ... [+]

In a magical world there lived a man who was blessed with everything life had to offer. He knew of no pleasure that was not his to enjoy. This man had a great many gifts; so many, in fact, it's ... [+]

"Paula, you ready?" Angel asks. I can hear the edge in his question—a mix of fatigue and frustration. He's really asking, "Can we get this over with already?" At least he has the decency not to say ... [+]

Once upon a time there lived a beautiful princess in a beautiful castle. She was kind and generous and everybody loved her.

In that same palace lived a lowly servant. The servant longed to be ... [+]

The phone buzzed twenty-six times on my bedside table. Moaning, I turned my aching body and grabbed the phone with my uninjured hand.
"John?" a shrill voice demanded.
"Hey Natalie."
"Where ... [+]

It's 3AM and you're there again. You're always there, every day, for the past 3 years, 2ꟷ6AM unfailingly. The stale air of the attic settles uncomfortably all around you, as the only intelligible ... [+]