Rowan O’Neal
When the old man boarded the bus dragging his rolling metal basket, laden with groceries, he joked that he had nearly 200 pounds. The driver asked how far he was going, to which the old man replied, “Oh two, three stops, just up to the top of the hill.” There really was not much of a hill, but it was clear that the old man would not have been able to drag his groceries that far. The driver told the man not to worry about his fare which seemed sensible, […]
Fiona Haborak
In the reflective glass, you spy a distorted version of yourself. An agitated woman stares back. So, you shrink a little further into yourself, shoulders hunched to avoid attention. Dark circles hang under your eyes far heavier than your Burlington bag bargain find. Cheap, purple earbuds jostle with every stop announced over the intercom. You sigh and shuffle closer to the sliding doors to make for a swift exit.
You must be tired of the songs they write about girls: the ones you will never be. You’re drowning in your oversized sweater, your woolen […]
Andrew Touma
The manager glanced both ways before walking toward the center lane of the freeway. This was done out of habit; he wasn’t afraid of being struck. He stood for a moment, using his eyes to trace the parallel lines toward the rising sun. His dark shadow stretched far behind him on the ashen concrete. He scanned the horizon, but the downtown buildings were absent. Before imagination or timidity could take hold, he dropped the pole from under his arm and began the assembly.
He worked in silence and without witness. Once […]
Fiona Haborak
These days, he’s a corpse. An automaton crookedly shambling down the migraine-inducing neon strip, wrinkled suit wet from stale liquor and sweat. He squints while trying to bring her lazy image into focus. An out-of-focus apparition makes him lose track of time. The face of his watch suffers a splinter from his most recent bender.
‘Lo and behold, there she is, amongst the sea of tourists and one-day marriage lovebirds, with that handsome magazine man by her stick-thin side. Mafia, he suspects, by the way he’s packing, […]
