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A New Kind of Literary Pulse

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Logo Long Story Short Award - Fall 2020
Short Fiction
 2 min

Red Lights

Christena Oldham

Of all the odd habits children develop with their parents, Sam’s was truly peculiar. The rubbery strap of his mother’s wristwatch felt so beefy in between his teeth. The sound of the material’s ...  [+]
Short Fiction
Short Fiction
Slice of Life Portrait  5 min

Charlie

Tammy Emo

"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 ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 3 min

The Remembrance of the Past

Jacob Dayton

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 ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 2 min

The Dream

Savannah Williams

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 ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 5 min

The Beautiful Blade

Tyler Bateman

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 ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 5 min

Weatherby's Justice

Samuel Shumway

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 ...  [+]
Short Fiction
Short Fiction
 2 min

Half an Hour

Hayden Underwood

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 ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 2 min

The House of Escher

Santiago Blanco Torres

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 ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 5 min

The Butterfly Monarch

Hyrum Jones

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 ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 5 min

Santa Clause Vs. the FDA: Exhibit A

Michael Camit

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 ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 4 min

A Mistake That Wasn’t

Taylor Dalton

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 ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 3 min

Lone Knight

Tad Decker

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 ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 2 min

Departure

Evelyn Nichols

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 ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 2 min

Hornet's Nest

Kelly Burdick

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 ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 3 min

The Door

Catherine Niesporek

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 ...  [+]
Short Fiction
 2 min

Angel Blinks

Aliah Eberting

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 ...  [+]