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In Memory of Atlas Moon
Marisa Barnard
6502 , Quinn Keck When I was seven years old, I looked out upon a graveyard and read each name written in marble letters. To my horror, I realized I did not know a single one of them. A name on a stone, the only trace of a human that once lived. Someday, I thought,…
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Swimming Lessons
Claire Doll
Baptism, Mia Silvan-Grau I watch my tears trickle into the river. They fit right in, running with the current, salting the summer air, adding to the flow of water coursing forward. There’s something beautiful about that, and if I weren’t crying, I would probably appreciate it more. Above me, the sky stretches for miles. Momma…
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Red Snow
Hobson Wadsworth
Ripped, Breanne Sparta Red snow. School was out for red snow. We were just asleep last night, and out of nowhere, like a late Christmas present, the red snow was everywhere. Me and Dad looked outside at the few people who’d been willing to step out of the comfort and safe normality of their homes.…
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We Have Nothing If Not Time
Chelsea Panameño
Throwback, Abigail Jackson The heatwave was announced the day before the solstice, the day after my brother and I arrived at our mother’s summer home. We did what we thought we should do, based on a few vague Internet searches and a glance at local news warnings. We turned the window unit up as cold as…
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Sitting Under Starry Skies
Claire Doll
Winter, Jonathan Agee The parking lot of my old high school looked the same, even in the dark of winter. It was haunting to see the building lit up only by streetlights, to watch the December winds toss forgotten autumn leaves on the gravel, to be the only parked car in the lot. Lacey had…
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Laurel in Full Bloom
Chelsea Panameño
Into the Ether, Nicky Meaux The bark appeared on the first day of spring, when the winds were starting to pick up, but the worst of the rain had not yet begun. It started as a small thing: a rough, brown patch on her wrist, hardened like a scab. Daphne frowned, but it didn’t hurt,…
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Welcome to Milnesand
Skin Mask Replica, Hunter Louis “Mill in sand.” Windmills pump water out of the sand to irrigate peanuts. At the junction of NM 206, NM 258 and NM 262. Halfway between Portales and Lovington. Still have no idea? ‘Bout a 100 miles west of Lubbock, TX. Does that clear things up? Probably not. The expression “been…
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The Shield Maidens of Hafrsfjord
Opulent, Taharah Islam Part Four (continued from The Shield Maidens of Hafrsfjord, Part Three) Two days have passed since the chaos of the poisoned chests. The chests of silver and gold have been buried deep within the woods of Northumbria. The last two days have been filled with anxiety and dread as battle approaches. Eira has not…
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Stokvis
Eclipsed, Scott Gathright Early that day, clouds had rolled overhead and started to shower The Bulwark and the surrounding sea in a bout of rain. Kubo had watched the South African coastline of KwaZulu-Natal disappear slowly behind a curtain of water through his circular window in the ship’s kitchen. As he prepared a meal of fried…
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THE SHIELD MAIDENS OF HAFRSFJORD
Winter Afternoon, Evan McGrew Part Three (continued from The Shield Maidens of Hafrsfjord, Part Two) TW/SA, mentions of suicide Astrid has not stopped thinking about what Eira fears. Whenever Eira has a fear about something, she is usually correct. If one of them should die, Astrid hopes that it is her; she could never continue to live…
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Edgar Edgarson
Fever Dream, Emily Bryn Edgar Edgarson wore a Victorian overcoat to school, and when I mentioned this to him, he did not hear me. We walked along the hallway together, his canvas boots out of place among converse and sandals and the second-hand falling apart things on my feet. I could not imagine someone like Edgar…
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THE SHIELD MAIDENS OF HAFRSFJORD
ano nakikita Mo?, harana Part Two (continued from The Shield Maidens of Hafrsfjord, Part One) TW/SA After two weeks of not seeing him, Astrid sees him in the great hall. He is with his friends talking and laughing as if he has done nothing wrong. He must know that she is watching him…
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Red’s Maintenance
After the Impact, Sarena Pollock We regret to inform you that starting on 10/02/4519, the color red will be undergoing maintenance, and will be temporarily unavailable. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. First, you may notice your senses being slightly dulled due to gaps in your sensory perception. Do not be alarmed. Your…
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You’re Not From Around Here
Rust Rorschach, Timothy Embertson “You are excused. If you don’t know certain things, I know you are not from around here,” Dementria Martinez told the man politely. She could tell by the odd expression on his face that something, probably her first name, had gotten his attention, probably confused him. This was not the first…
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A Shadowy Figure
Demonology, Jack Hoye I lay down on my bed and pull a photo out from under my pillow. A family photo – the last one too. I close my eyes and suddenly find myself back in my parent’s house just weeks before. “Help! Somebody, please!” The last words my mother ever uttered. Thud! The unmistakable sound…
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The Shield Maidens of Hafrsfjord
Bright Nights City Lights, Jackie Phuong Ta Part One TW/SA The Northmen are all standing and sitting together in the hall of the great Jarl Thigurd Sigurdsson to await his announcement of the summer raids. The hearth is blazing as it heats the entire room, mead is being poured into horns, laughter is coming from all…
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Fox Studies
“junior year prom, mom had to unzip my dress because i was having a panic attack and couldn’t breathe”, Evelyn Staats On the day that Miles turns into a fox, I wake up sneezing. I lay curled on my side, facing the nightstand. According to my alarm clock, it is 6:18am. I switch on the lamp…
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The Churchyard Yew
Catacombes de Paris, Elle Griffiths Granny always told me that the yew is the tree of death, and that I should never go under it. In college I learned that every single part of the yew, except for the skin of the berry, is poisonous. Even inhaling sawdust from a yew could kill you. I…
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The Day It Happened
This Ain’t Belle’s Rose, Adriana Barker There came a winter that was not a winter, but the winter—the winter for which all the other winters had been waiting. The temperatures dropped to levels that broke every record and threatened to shatter the insides of every car and bus. Snow, nature’s most obstinate army, laid siege to…
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Marrow
Pink Creek, Louise Rossiter Laurel’s father was fired from his job at the end of August, a sure way to sour the remains of an already over-ripe summer. Its heat had been unbearable, with not even the small relief of a breeze to cut through the swelter. There was only the movement of mosquitoes and…
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I’ll Keep Checking
The Unexpected, by Anastassiya Selezneva Data Transition 40233-22 Unpacking… World Jumper Yaniess, It has been over 30 local solar days since your last check in. I have not had any contact with the other Vigil AI’s, including from the core worlds. If you are receiving, please respond. Data Transition 40233-23 Unpacking… World Jumper…
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The Lady of the Butterflies
Flutter, Savanah Tebeau-Sherry The slow heat of summer was just beginning to roll in when the Lady arrived in Kittery. Our town was small so everyone, especially us kids, noticed when the low cabin in the middle of the woods — the one that was supposed to be abandoned — was suddenly occupied. Occupied by a…