A New Kind of Literary Pulse

By the time she could hear the front door click shut, she was already shrugging off her coat and tossing the discarded garment on one of the kitchen barstools. It was admittedly too hot out for a ... [+]

My lab was quiet. Fluorescent ceiling lights reflected sharply in the brilliant shine of a brass oil lamp resting among glass flasks and stir plates on a black countertop in front of me. Wearing dark ... [+]

For the past nine Tuesdays, Libby had spent the afternoon at Jenny's Gymnastics Club, which was held in an old warehouse by the local dump. Jenny's was always too bright and too cold, and big box fans ... [+]

I: The GENIE application complies with IPP regulation 33.2, which states that it must execute all commands put to it, whether desired or undesired by the user.

II: GENIE comes pre-packaged in a ... [+]

Orange streetlights dip in and out of view through the tinted windows in a car I've never seen before. The vehicle vibrates with the fervor of a falcon, churning with effort along the long black ... [+]

Sometimes, I have trouble understanding people. It is not that I hate them, or even that I think I am better than they are. I just do not know why they do the things they do. I worked at bar once ... [+]

My wife and I share everything. It's one of the many joys of marriage.
We share a name. Not just one but all three. We were both Emma to begin with. Once we were married, I took her last name out ... [+]

The vermouth weighed heavy in his hand.

"Honey, help me with my dress."

A cascade of silver teeth interlocked. His fingers grazed over the nape of her neck. Lingering for a moment, he ... [+]

A hand emerged from the darkness and placed a steaming mug—Greg's favorite mug—on the table.
"Drink."
"What is this?" Greg demanded, starting to rise from his chair. "You can't—"
He'd barely ... [+]

Once again, I found myself seated under the shade of the imposing stone structure of the train station. Once again, I saw a couple hundreds of people, all moving here and there, all of them looking ... [+]

A mushroom stood short in a forest full of redwood trees that soared high above the forest floor. Two of the white spots on his red cap opened to reveal his dry eyes, ready to cry but no tears could ... [+]

At first, I thought I misheard. I turned around to see to whom these words may be intended, but the person spoke a second time.
« Hello, my life. »
My eyes crossed hers, and it was ... [+]

Long before the moon controlled the tides, before Aphrodite rose from her bed of sea foam, before the oceans trembled in fear of the titans, there was Her.
She was a city of sin and glory, deceit ... [+]

The ultimate catch of the midsummer day was not a fish of any sort - it was a child. The youngin wriggled at the end of the line, dumbfounding the fisherman who had caught them. Still, of good ... [+]

There was a new museum on the corner of Parksby Street. What was most peculiar was that the museum looked ancient already, but signs had not even been put up advertising what was on display inside ... [+]

Heaven Saviors was a girl destined for revelation. Orphaned at only 3 days old, Heaven's fate was sealed by the clouds and alien motherships. Her grandparents were visiting to celebrate the birth of ... [+]

When you die, you find yourself in a cross between a mailroom and a public library. Depending on your experiences with those two services while you were alive, you might be inclined to make some snap ... [+]

I toss my soiled clothes into the sink; I'll deal with them later.
I'm too impatient to wait for the water to get hot, so I hop into the freezing spray.
I shiver.
I'm strong though. I can ... [+]