A New Kind of Literary Pulse

Once in a blue moon, she remembers me. But most days, she lives in a world where I am a stranger.   "Where's my gold chain? Someone took it," she says. Her hands fidget with invisible jewelry at ...  [+]

In my waking dreams, I am, once again, six. I am not Clementine, or Clem, but Clemmie. Princess of the Hollowed-Out Oak Tree, like the ones in the picture books. 
My castle has a red door and green ...  [+]

Evan slogged down the apartment building's narrow hallway after another long day of monotony in the office. He reached the bottom basement floor and dropped his trash into the bin by the wall. The dim ...  [+]

10:58 pm. The lights shut off, plunging the sleeper train into a forced silence. A palpable weight settles into all of the passengers. Chattering voices peter out to a distant buzz. AirPod cases ...  [+]

Deep within the heart of the palace at the top of the world, deep within the endless mist, there was a treasure room.   It belonged to the man who ruled the world, and she was his daughter—a knife ...  [+]

In the theatre, emails and notifications flooded her work phone non-stop. Frantically replying each of them, she was determined to let nothing ruin her night. "Please, just tonight. Just tonight!" A ...  [+]

I'll be honest—my morning walks began in late May for someone. Someone special. That was my reason at first. Why it was is another story, but in that pursuit, I found something else, a new reason to ...  [+]

It wasn't everyday a hole ripped itself through the fabric of heaven, and it wasn't everyday someone fell through it.    Ochsa managed to achieve both in the span of one day.    Unfortunately ...  [+]

A woman headed out into the woods to look for her missing daughter. The forest began to turn dark, with shadows swallowing the leaves and darkness hungry to devour all in its grasp. The girl had not ...  [+]

Thanks for having me, Jim, I'm a huge fan of the show. No really. I used to watch your clips every night while rushing out assignments in my dorm room. Never thought I'd be one of your guests one ...  [+]

"Walk right up to that X and keep your feet planted the whole time. No pacing around," said a tall woman in a red blazer. She was clearly tuned into her earpiece but seemed an expert at having two ...  [+]

Their hands graze against each other as they walk by the river. The lights overbearing, the sounds overstimulating, and their hands just aching to hold another. They give in with an arm loop, the ...  [+]

In a small village in the Indian state of Haryana, every day the sun rose over the golden wheat fields and the sweet smell of freshly plowed earth resided in the air. Priyanka, the daughter of a ...  [+]

Cassius was smiling the last time I saw him. Every time I light a cigarette, I think of his smile; but once I start smoking, the thought fades away. I've been smoking a lot lately. It helps with ...  [+]

         We were both there that day at the playground.          We had been making our hot wheels float through the air. At that age we couldn't float anything heavier than a toy car, and even ...  [+]

Today is my birthday, again.   I ought to be happier, but I cannot help but feel only melancholy in this moment... I suppose I was happy.   ‘Do blow out your candles, dear. Your cake is getting ...  [+]

           The biting November wind swept the dead, crumpled leaves into the fire pit. It was quiet and ashy, specks of white soot falling away from the cracked logs. I stared at the blue tarp ...  [+]

I always prefer to stand just out of earshot. It helps keep me from listening to things I shouldn't hear. The irony is that I come from a family of eavesdroppers, the type who never bring a book to ...  [+]