A New Kind of Literary Pulse

"Charlie...Charlie...are you daydreaming again? It's work time now, please get your pencil," asks Ms. Amy sweetly.
Charlie Madison is in the 3rd grade, at KB Woodward Elementary school. Generally ...  [+]

Elra awoke in the middle of the night. A cool wind was gusting down from unseen heights on the mountain, and the stars were clear and bright in the dark sky. Elra saw Ulmar, the Crown of Thalris ...  [+]

The man tossed in his sleep, for there in his mind’s eye was that strange non-material thing that the Dream was. The image was there in his subconscious mind, that same image of a place he had neve ...  [+]

In the darkness a mouse scampered across the dusty floor in search of a meal. As it travelled something caught its eye. A faint glint of reflected light shattered the eternal midnight of the cavern ...  [+]

I was passing through the alley behind the grocery store when I heard the shouts coming from behind the yellow row of dumpsters. I was curious, and so I stopped and leaned my bike up against the back ...  [+]

1. Acquire a date. This would be easier if you knew anyone of the appropriate gender/orientation. Blaming your autism for this deficiency is preferable to taking responsibility for your anti-social ...  [+]

The nurse left work at five o'clock. She usually left around 4:30 and if she hadn’t taken that extra half an hour, perhaps the tragedy could have been avoided.
Kristie’s day was fairly normal: She ...  [+]

I arrived unannounced. The Alchemist’s house was dark and crowded with ornaments. “Tools” the man corrected as we entered deeper into the mansion. As I sat in my new room I marveled at this incredible ...  [+]

Day 1

My body's been changing recently; now I'm king of the world. It's been a crazy morning.

Let’s start from yesterday. Yesterday I was comfortably wrapped in a dangle-bed eagerly ...  [+]

Dec. 12th, 8:48 AM: Incoming message from: Santa
[ Hey Jack! What’s up? ]
Nothing much right now. Cleaning up for holidays. How’s the pre-holiday Vegas trip?
[ It’s great! I’m actually at the ...  [+]

Odysseus clung to the underside of the sheep in the middle. The ropes that tied the three sheep acted as a harness, keeping his feet attached the soft wool around the sheep’s sides. His mind racing ...  [+]

The stranger paused. “How long have you been here?”
It was a good question. He’d lost track. He knew it’d been over a year, but less than three. If it’d been three he’d have seen Mt. Tinaki erupted ...  [+]

The water rolls gently against the shore, not even cresting as it lazily runs up and down along the sand. I've never seen the ocean this calm. This island is still. Out in the middle of the ocean and ...  [+]

It hangs, brown and fat and drooping, its papery walls like so much windblown sand, the worker wasps on its surface like so many maggots corrupting a body. You stare up at the heavy hornet’s nest ...  [+]

The kitchen telephone stops ringing before Annie can answer it. In the other room, Roland hits two toy cars together and imitates the sound of a crash, then pushes them along the carpet. Annie sets ...  [+]

They say there’s a time past the peak of the moon and the zenith of the wind when the angels close their eyes. It’s not a long moment—barely a second—not even. Just a pause, the start of a breath ...  [+]

I was dumbfounded. Sitting before me was a young boy who looked like he would not last a week, much less years, of specialized training.

Yet, the Don and Underboss of the Family presented him ...  [+]

I used to wish on dandelions as a child; I truly believed that everything I wanted would come to me if I blew away those seeds into the sky. It was like planting my dreams all over the earth. I wished ...  [+]