by Paul D. Dressed in a puffa jacket that had seen better days the explorer watched the wildlife at the edge of the ice sheet. A waddling mass of penguins formed a colony near the rock face, with birds squawking, flapping or swarming together in organised chaos of feathers and maturing chicks. Between the nesting area and the sea they …
Absent Friends
by Alex Jones To the sound of a couple of tea cups clinking: “To absent friends!” “Indeed. How very thoughtful of you” “It is so long since we last saw Toni, I just thought we’d reminisce” “Good idea old chap” “Do you remember when she used to play with us? She was so….” “Delightful?” “Yes. Delightful” “So warm. So loving” …
Just Deserts
by Sherree Cummings He shifted, sliding the cardboard further under his buttocks, a bit of grit poking him in the backside. The ground was freezing. He blew on his fingers trying to warm them but they were stubbornly refusing to thaw out. He had lost everything. His home, his family, even the bloody flea ridden cat with its doses of …
Scraped Hands
by Elaine Martini She had lost count of how many times she washed her hands today. It was difficult to know if it was all the anxiety or justified. She checked the time again. It was difficult to get used to this new routine. Time passed by quickly and slowly. Last month felt like last year. She heard somewhere that …
Absent Friend
by Laura Paton The rain falls like coins from a one-armed bandit. Jackpot, thinks Sam, as he watches the huge drops smacking onto the tarmac. Sheltering under the hotel’s awning, he removes a cigarette from a brand-new packet, jams it between his lips and lights it, flicking the match out into the storm. Taking a long drag, he steps forward …
Building New Worlds
by Fabrizio Sitzia The moons were already up in the sky, red as they usually become during the eclipse. That Eclipse, the one that covers like a mantle the five kingdoms every month. This time, the kings didn’t gather together to watch it or to give their offerings to the gods they feared in front of the priests. This time …