A New Kind of Literary Pulse

He flinched as his ears were hit with a sudden monotone message that blared over his car speakers, much louder than the soft voice of the podcast host. "You have two new messages from ‘Magz': ‘Let us ...  [+]

Without all the furniture, the house collapses like flesh without its bones, shaped only by my breath. I cross my arms, holding off a chill, and move into the little space that used to be a dining ...  [+]

Madaline turned around to look back at me as we reached her front door. Her dad would be waiting up just on the other side but we were back well before curfew. I leaned down to lightly peck her lips ...  [+]

Momma was late again today, so I spent the afternoon on the curb outside school, staring at this one ant carrying a piece of dirt the size of his body on top of his head. It started raining so I just ...  [+]

Elias was the one to first see the body — he was the one to fall off his bike. Skidded in the gravel and tumbled to the ground, scraping up his elbow — "A squirrel ran out in front!" he protested, and ...  [+]

Nineve could talk to water. She'd been 5 when her gift had come to her, and everyone in her coastal town had rejoiced at having another water speaker. Like many who went through speaker training, he ...  [+]

Alone. All I've ever known is loneliness. Hours, days, weeks, they all merge together after a while.

At least it is bright, the sun shines through the blinds in this desolate house, but that ...  [+]

Sleet fell, cast bloodred by the last throes of a dying sun. The ground beneath the terrible host churned like long-soured milk in the kirn. Horse breath and the stench of man rose from the ground ...  [+]

Sitting at a diner was the last thing he wanted to be doing right now. He could be at home drawing right now, and instead he had to sweat through the hazy heat slowly circulated by the broken uneven ...  [+]

All I remember before I blacked out was seeing the pavement and a black figure in front of me. I was lying, facedown, on the ground when I woke up. The sun was so bright that I had to blink a few ...  [+]

I never thought I'd meet another hitman on the job who wasn't trying to kill me. It was at La Pergola in Rome. The slim patch of Kevlar right over his heart, almost invisible under his jacket, only ...  [+]

Killian stood in front of the bridge, breathing heavily.
This was it. After months of traveling through the mud and rain, he was finally at the Gates of Orr. His nose ran from the cold, but he ...  [+]

I awoke in an unfamiliar hallway. I sat up from the cold concrete floor below me and tried to collect myself.
"Where am I?" I asked myself.
"I can't remember anything."
I looked around to ...  [+]

The crows haven't left. Dozens descended upon the shoreline seven seconds after Ms. Pocrite smushed herself into the right side of the bench at Golgoth Lake. Dancing along the waterline, they pecked ...  [+]

‘You're disgusting', ‘You filthy pig', ‘Get a grip on yourself', I heard the voices chime in perfect harmony. I turned on the radio that stood by my bedside on the way to the bathroom. I hated the ...  [+]

Toni
My name was Naomi Campbell, and I died five years ago.
When you die, the only way you exist is within the memory of people. While you're alive, you're multidimensional.
When you're alive ...  [+]

Captain's log 45:

We finally found it! We found the last of the five dragon species. The species of sea dragons we have just located makes for a set of five holotype dragons. Since dragons are ...  [+]

The old man thought about that long ago, of working and being innocent. Even as a child, he'd always had a job. Some of his most fond memories were of delivering breakfast to his grandfather out in ...  [+]