Before putting the X-ray on the market for copious amounts of money, Xavier could not wait to try it out on himself. What secrets or inspirations lurked below the surface? He imagined that his soul was a stately jazz musician. Or, he thought, his soul could be that of a Labrador Retriever – smart, steady, … Continue reading ‘Xavier’s X-ray’ by Kristan Ginther
Madmen know. They shout it in the streets and in the fields but go unnoticed. Those dying know. They whisper it with their last breath but no one understands. The dead know. They touch the living in warning, passing silently over what were once their homes, yet go unheeded. And I know, though I no … Continue reading ‘A Child’s Voice’ by Darren Joy
Our long hard trip has left us worn but wise We learn that matters that look large close by Can fade to naught when one sees from afar From Earth, the dying sun filled half the sky Fourteen light years away scarce does its shine Stand out from that of any pallid star * About … Continue reading ‘Big Picture’ by Lawrence Barker
I had returned. to find Viet Nam. To find my past. To find my lover. To find my Linh. I returned. So in the crags deep and distant from Tu Le, I searched. I search for my youth, I search for my answers, I search for Linh. I searched. I found only a temple. With … Continue reading ‘ANNAM’ by Romeo Esparrago
Portentia Clarke looked out the window and watched the cameraman struggle to get his legs into the contamination suit; he was a heavier man, and the producer and tech crew were helping out. It was five in the morning, and they weren't scheduled to begin until after nine. Four hours of preparation, all for their … Continue reading ‘Three Tears’ by Shaun Haiste
The owner of Ozymandias has just gone over the edge of the horizon, and we love it. With OzymExo, he’s taken his well-established outlandish obscurantism and gotten rid of the landish. OE’s virgin catalog is pure weird candy for the unhinged and the mutated. I promise you -- heavy rotation at Bebe Monster and Monkey … Continue reading ‘Into Exo: A Review of Oz’s New Sub-label’ by Brandon Myers
The first days were always the hardest. It had been six months since I stopped counting the days and the nights. But somehow, somehow -- I knew this was the first day. Maybe it was the black fog overhead, or the constant beat of war drums coming ever closer. First day. Sacrifice. Food. Women. Children. … Continue reading “War” by David Kerschner
[Illustration: New illustration created for the archive; the original artwork, “Entropy” © 2007 by Carl Goodman, has been lost.] I remember dying, but my earlier memories are beginning to go. Being a particle physicist gives one a unique perspective on death, particularly while participating in the greatest experiment ever. My initial thesis was to attribute … Continue reading “Entropy” by David Such
“I want everyone on that planet eliminated, Shadrach,” proclaimed Braux, the leader of the Kestel delegation. I nodded once, and with a wave of his hand he dismissed me. The species would not die as mine had. There would be a few left to start over. I always made sure a few were left. I … Continue reading “The Eliminator” by Frederick G. Soper
[Illustration: New illustration created for the archive; the original artwork, “Dover Cat” © 2007 by Robert Sorensen, has been lost.] It exploded off of the ceiling and went crashing down with a resounding bang that echoed around the chambers and shook the woodlands outside, jarring the blue jays from their midday rest. The tower shook … Continue reading “The Scroll of the 7 Roses” by David Kerschner
