Another Day

In the moments before sleep stole him away, he would always resolve to do better tomorrow. Every night, or often early morning, he told himself that he would go to sleep earlier, wake up with the sun, and carpe some diem. Sometimes he even fantasized about going for a run or quitting smoking the next … Continue reading Another Day →

The Day You Left

By: Ben Bielert I wasn’t that old on the day you left. Just a 7-year-old girl with scabby knees and tears streaming down my cheeks. I watched your car crawl away on the bumpy gravel driveway, the crunching sound under those bald tires seemed to never end. I might have been able to catch you, … Continue reading The Day You Left →

The Xenoflora Spell

When it arrived, Aaron didn’t see anything, it all happened too quickly. Shooting out of the sky, faster than a bullet, it narrowly missed him and his dog, Chase. The air heated up instantly. The cool air of that early autumn evening became so hot that he had to step back as though he had … Continue reading The Xenoflora Spell →

Choosing Life: a William Morgan Story

By: Ben Bielert “You’re hard to track down,” Angela said, surprising me as she emerged from the shadows. I wasn’t easy to sneak up on either, so my surprise was intermingled with admiration. “I don’t like to sit still,” I told her. “What are you doing here, Angie?” “Not happy to see your offspring?” She … Continue reading Choosing Life: a William Morgan Story →

Talking to Myself

By: Ben Bielert It’s a drizzly, miserable, cold fall day, which has completely screwed my usual routine. Lately, I’ve been writing in the park, risking the possibility that a member of my city’s growing homeless population will try to steal my shitty 5-year-old laptop and pawn it for the $40 that it’s likely worth so … Continue reading Talking to Myself →

Seeding the Red

By: Ben Bielert I raced along the rusty landscape, kicking up a cloud of orange dust as I went. The swirling trail threatened to catch me whenever I stopped to bury a bio-orb in the thin, sandy soil. The sun overhead was weak and cold, and there were only the slightest wisps of cloud. The … Continue reading Seeding the Red →

A Stranger in the Night

When I was a kid we moved around, a lot. My mom left my dad because he was abusive but the courts didn't believe her because she had a drinking problem. Couple that with the fact she had issues finding and keeping work and the result was dad got partial custody. She didn't trust him … Continue reading A Stranger in the Night →

The Water Tower

By: Ben Bielert He always tied his shoes. Never just slipped ‘em on. Tied ‘em. Every. Goddamn. Time. That was just the way Danny Turner was. Methodical, calculating to the point of impracticality. You might be wonderin’ about the times when he was in a hurry. That’s just it, Danny was never in a hurry. … Continue reading The Water Tower →