I should have listened to my brother all those times he told me about the mirrors. I should have believed him when he said mirrors were like a different dimension; a portal into a bad, horrible alternative reality. But, I did not believe him. I thought he was just being a pesky teasing older brother. That’s the way Brandon usually was anyway. Why would I have thought he was really telling the truth? It was just mere days from my fourteenth birthday. Mom said I could begin wearing makeup when I turned fourteen. All my friends were already doing so. My best friends Jimma, Rue, Adaline, and Daria had been using cosmetics for months. So, I was always looking in…

I had always been a traveler; a rambler of sorts. I had never stayed in one place for long. I had to be on the go, exploring and studying out of the way places and interesting and odd things. The small village of Sneeuqfognik was one such place. The village may have been just a dot on the map, but it was home to a museum with over a million abnormal findings from all across the universe. A cursed museum. As I stood on the dirt pathway in front of the structure, a tall, lanky man with snow white hair and a salt-and-pepper beard approached. “Hello, miss,” he tipped his Fedora. “I am Professor Ezra Donaby. I teach courses on…

I sat in the corner of the bar, sipping at my white wine and soaking in the rural atmosphere. It was nice to sit and relax. Work had been crazy as of late. The duties of a Paranormal Investigator seemed almost never-ending. “Hey, I know you,” an old man with a long scraggly beard and red suspenders pointed at me from across the room. “Ain’t you that Hadley Trivett from ‘Ghosting’?” He slithered from his stool and began limping toward me. “Yes, sir,” I winced. “I am. We just wrapped up our latest episode. I’m just passing through here on my way home. We’ll be on hiatus until next season.” I gulped down the remainder of my liquid refreshment. “Well,…

The Spelunker’s Cave had been one of my favorite rides since I was a kid. I wasn’t a kid anymore. I was almost fourteen. But, I still loved it. My friends did too. Toni, Andra, Caroline, and I piled into the boat, ready for the darkness. Five other boats were lined in front of us. Ours was the sixth and final boat. A long, long line of amusement park thrill seekers awaited their turns. We jerked forward; whooping and hollering. Toni clapped and whistled. Andra waved her hands through the cool, pumped-in air, and Caroline crooned in deep, ominous tones. “Don’t scare me, y’all,” I laughed. “Oh, poor Lilah,” Toni teased, “boogedy, boogedy.” She pulled my hair from the back…

For my thirtieth birthday I thought l would treat myself to a lottery ticket, not just one of those scratch-off kind but one where you actually select your numbers. I had never been an adventurous girl but figured, hey, you only turn thirty once. I’d give it a shot. After a long day of re-shelving books at the Talbot Public Library I stopped into the QuickTime station on Silverton and Croft. I purchased a tank of gasoline, a Diet Coke and the ticket. The gas was so expensive. I could not believe how much it cost to fill up my little car. The realization that I won $293.3 million took a while to sink into my brain. I stared at…

Two years ago my family and I left Earth on an experimental mission. Our big, blue marble was experiencing extensive gravitational insufficiency. Numerous renowned researchers and the most intelligent scientists from several countries had developed a spacecraft in order to test their semblance of an artificial gravity. A massive lottery was designed to choose pioneer passengers. Every address throughout the world was placed into a database. lmagine my surprise when the Weltraum clan was selected. I was going to be the first teenager ever to zoom past stars and other planets. I had never been much on astronomy or little green men or galaxies beyond our reach. I had never even watched Star Wars or Star Trek. My brother though,…

“Are you looking to bring sparkle and pizazz to your life? Are you looking for a brand new ambiance? Well come join us at Shadow Haynes’ Circus this Saturday! Watch death defying feats that will simply amaze you! Laugh with the clown acts! See our contortionists, magicians, living statues and more! You won’t believe your eyes! Come one, come all!” The man on the corner sounded like a canival barker. In a way, I suppose he was. Advertising and enticing with a fake, syrupy charm. Dressed in a too-small, pin-striped suit and a shabby top hat, he certainly looked the part. His black, handlebar mustache didn’t hurt either. My best friend Kissy Preston punched me in the arm. “Hey, wanna…

I should have listened to my brother all those times he told me about the mirrors. I should have believed him when he said mirrors were like a different dimension; a portal into a bad, horrible alternative reality. But, I did not believe him. I thought he was just being a pesky teasing older brother. That’s the way Brandon usually was anyway. Why would I have thought he was really telling the truth? It was just mere days from my fourteenth birthday. Mom said I could begin wearing makeup when I turned fourteen. All my friends were already doing so. My best friends Jimma, Rue, Adaline, and Daria had been using cosmetics for months. So, I was always looking in…

I sat in the corner of the bar, sipping at my white wine and soaking in the rural atmosphere. It was nice to sit and relax. Work had been crazy as of late. The duties of a Paranormal Investigator seemed almost never-ending. “Hey, I know you,” an old man with a long scraggly beard and red suspenders pointed at me from across the room. “Ain’t you that Hadley Trivett from ‘Ghosting’?” He slithered from his stool and began limping toward me. “Yes, sir,” I winced. “I am. We just wrapped up our latest episode. I’m just passing through here on my way home. We’ll be on hiatus until next season.” I gulped down the remainder of my liquid refreshment. “Well,…

The Spelunker’s Cave had been one of my favorite rides since I was a kid. I wasn’t a kid anymore. I was almost fourteen. But, I still loved it. My friends did too. Toni, Andra, Caroline, and I piled into the boat, ready for the darkness. Five other boats were lined in front of us. Ours was the sixth and final boat. A long, long line of amusement park thrill seekers awaited their turns. We jerked forward; whooping and hollering. Toni clapped and whistled. Andra waved her hands through the cool, pumped-in air, and Caroline crooned in deep, ominous tones. “Don’t scare me, y’all,” I laughed. “Oh, poor Lilah,” Toni teased, “boogedy, boogedy.” She pulled my hair from the back…

For my thirtieth birthday I thought l would treat myself to a lottery ticket, not just one of those scratch-off kind but one where you actually select your numbers. I had never been an adventurous girl but figured, hey, you only turn thirty once. I’d give it a shot. After a long day of re-shelving books at the Talbot Public Library I stopped into the QuickTime station on Silverton and Croft. I purchased a tank of gasoline, a Diet Coke and the ticket. The gas was so expensive. I could not believe how much it cost to fill up my little car. The realization that I won $293.3 million took a while to sink into my brain. I stared at…

Two years ago my family and I left Earth on an experimental mission. Our big, blue marble was experiencing extensive gravitational insufficiency. Numerous renowned researchers and the most intelligent scientists from several countries had developed a spacecraft in order to test their semblance of an artificial gravity. A massive lottery was designed to choose pioneer passengers. Every address throughout the world was placed into a database. lmagine my surprise when the Weltraum clan was selected. I was going to be the first teenager ever to zoom past stars and other planets. I had never been much on astronomy or little green men or galaxies beyond our reach. I had never even watched Star Wars or Star Trek. My brother though,…

“Are you looking to bring sparkle and pizazz to your life? Are you looking for a brand new ambiance? Well come join us at Shadow Haynes’ Circus this Saturday! Watch death defying feats that will simply amaze you! Laugh with the clown acts! See our contortionists, magicians, living statues and more! You won’t believe your eyes! Come one, come all!” The man on the corner sounded like a canival barker. In a way, I suppose he was. Advertising and enticing with a fake, syrupy charm. Dressed in a too-small, pin-striped suit and a shabby top hat, he certainly looked the part. His black, handlebar mustache didn’t hurt either. My best friend Kissy Preston punched me in the arm. “Hey, wanna…

Jarren lifted the sheets up over Milli, tucking them in around her as she stared up at him. “Daddy?” she said. “Yes, angel?” “Can I have a song?” He sighed. “I don’t know any of the songs Mommy would sing to you.” “She would sing songs about going to sleep.” He took in a deep breath. “Well, I’ll give it a try. Um… let’s see. Go to sleep, goodnight, it’s nighttime little girl… go to sleep, you’re in bed…” “That’s not a very good song, Daddy.” “Yeah, I imagine not. How about I just kiss your forehead and then you can fall asleep all on your own, eh?” She shrugged, and he sighed. He bent down and kissed her on…

Richard removed the lightswitch to the basement stairwell. It wasn’t that he simply disabled it, no. He removed the entire thing. Plastic covering, screws, the switch box—all of it. Though, he had shut off the power to the basement for good measure, too. Every once in a while when a worried family member or friend or even his colleagues from work would stop by. Sometimes they just wanted to say hello. Sometimes they wanted to bring him food, worried about how much weight he’d lost. Other times they would come by with the name of a counselor they hoped would be a good fit for him. He didn’t mind those visits. He enjoyed the company, even if it was his…

It’s stuck in my mind, trapped and buried in the deepest regions, only to resurface when my mind wonders. I’ll be on the brink of sleep, drifting off when the haunting memories return to me. It was to become a man they told me, but it simply made me less of a human. Decades ago, the summer heat rained down on our small town in Texas. The only safety for the younglings was the shade of trees as our parents forced us outside til the dinner bell rang. School was out, and there was almost nothing to do. Worse of all, my parents refused to take me to the local pool, citing health concerns. Alas, there was a saving grace.…