LIGHTSPEED fiction: “Python” by Ursula Pflug. http://t.co/cEjyqMbgNI #FreeFiction #Fantasy http://t.co/rXDa9blWNt

LIGHTSPEED fiction: “To See Pedro Infante” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. http://t.co/2hLjDo4Xfe #FreeFiction #Fantasy http://t.co/QWsIhmonTq

LIGHTSPEED fiction: “Ana’s Tag” by William Alexander. http://t.co/On3euwkbPw #FreeFiction #Fantasy http://t.co/54ylH0kwyZ

Today's delightful #lunchread was @NisiShawl's The Pragmatical Princess (via @bogiperson and #diversestories): http://t.co/xsFsq9DSfz

The Great Zeppelin Heist of Oz by Rae Carson and C.C. Finlay Scraps, the patchwork girl, witnessed the wizard’s arrival. She sat beneath a tree watching the most spectacular show ever performed by a summer sky. White clouds swirled above an emerald colored sky like whipped marshmallow topping on a glass bowl full of lime …

Bonsai by Shaenon K. Garrity Uterine cancer, the doctor is saying, and the world ends. Stage Four. That means advanced. It means bad. Your arms and legs and throat go numb. All you can hear is his question, looping: when was your last exam? You can’t remember. Not that it matters now. In cases like yours …

Their Changing Bodies by Alaya Dawn Johnson Judy had been painfully aware of him since her arrival two weeks ago, when she had seen him across the mess hall. They talked a little, but Judy hadn’t been prepared for his appearance or his popularity. She hadn’t expected him to change quite so much. Judy had …

Telling Stories by Sandra M. Odell Sam knew there would be trouble the night the saguaro came to call. “Evening,” she said, and stepped aside for her unexpected guest. The cactus scrunched down as far as it could and skittered through the door on its roots, bringing with it the breath of rocks, sage brush, and …

The Cruelest Team Will Win by Mike Allen A spider with a leg span wider than my outstretched hand squeezed out from the space behind the light switch, and spread its wings. I froze, my finger still on the toggle. Behind me the dust-draped ceiling fan hummed to life, the light bulb beneath it flicking on …

When Shakko Did Not Lie by Eugie Foster The maiden’s amber eyes glowed in the moonlight. A single tear glistened and rained down her moon-white face. “Don’t cry, lovely one,” Shakko barked, alarmed. The maiden lifted the sleeve of her jasmine-yellow kimono and dabbed at her eyes. “Why should I not cry?” she asked. “My champion says …

Black Swan, White Swan by Eugie Foster Concentric circles lap beneath the dock’s wooden planks. A swan floats out, its shining plumage driving the water’s void back. “There’s a man across the way.” The swan fixes Delia with polished onyx eyes. “Sometimes he’s a lighthouse and sometimes he’s a train, but silence doesn’t scare him.” …