Tag: women author
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FaceTime
An urban legend retelling inspired by “Killer in the Backseat.” The bell above the door rang out and Lana rolled her eyes. It was five minutes until closing. Forcing a smile, she met the man at the hostess podium and greeted him unenthusiastically. She offered silent thanks when he said he was there for a carry-out…
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The Basin
By Cheney M. Luttich We were buried in Wyoming. My home state of Nebraska and its flat ocean of grass was a day behind. The pictures passing my backseat window were a rumpled assortment of hills and juvenile cliffs piercing the earth’s epidermis, not yet mature enough to join the rank of Colorado’s Rockies. The…
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Jordan Yeng
Jordan Yeng felt most awake when his consciousness faded and sleep claimed him. It was the promise of these nightly adventures that kept him going most days. By day, Jordan was scrawny, generally disliked, and often disappointing. Grandmother Yeng, with whom he and his mother lived, frequently remarked that his clumsiness and poor grades were…
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Sanctuary Someday
By Terri Clifton Townspeople and farmers, travelers and soldiers alike agreed the forest was a dangerous place and they were right. They said it was inhabited by an ancient witch, and they weren’t far wrong. Vast and dense was the wilderness, and few were the roads that passed through, and none through the deepest heart.…
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Slapped
By Rachael Llewellyn TW: Abuse Graduation 2015 On the morning of her graduation, Moira was woken up by her housemate, Gretchen, fighting with her mum about shoes. The build-up to graduation had mostly consisted of Gretchen hyperventilating about all the ways in which her mum could potentially embarrass her. “You’re so lucky you don’t need…
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Claws and Teeth
Claws are for scratching. Teeth are for biting. Forked tongues are for smelling. . Deep breath in. Shaking breath out. Repeat. — Sometimes it was a hotel, sometimes a hostel, but tonight it was a roadside motel somewhere on the northeastern coastline. Salty air had disfigured the once vibrant 1970-something paint. The sleepy clerk had…
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Horsepen Mountain
By Melinda Grisco Horsepen Mountain has many unhappy ghosts, dark secrets and good soil on the steep slopes. The road going through the area is so winding folks say, “you meet yourself coming and going”. It is a treacherous place to walk or drive even in good weather. Many cars and trucks have gone over…
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I Know Why the Fox Runs
By Linda McMullen I was the thirteenth princess of my line, and the only one to come to grief. My parents, the King and Queen, taught my sisters and me to be true and kind, to ask questions, and to venerate the spirits of the sky. Father advised us to use our talents wisely. Mother…
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Zephyr
By Billie Daddario Zephyr winds cause pines and aspen to dance Bright hot sun lay languid shadows on rocks A woodpecker and an owl fracture errant solitude Reptile sunning myself against warm smooth granite A million years of ephemeral contractions Decay becomes fodder becomes decay Exhale creation Excellence, perfection, flawless Summer Learn more about Billie…
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The Church
By Grainne O’Brien “You don’t have to go.” Ciara’s husband entered their bedroom dressed in a navy suit with a bright yellow tie that he was managing to pull off. “Everyone will understand.” Stopping short, he surveyed her unusual stance. “What are you doing, Ci?” His tone was even, but his expression was alert and…
Heartland Society of Women Writers 