Rapunzel Dreams of Elephants – Rachel Delaney Craft
Stories
Last Call by Brett Biebel
Drugged and dying, Bigby thinks about dreams. How, long ago, maybe two or three beers in, he told his roommate he wanted to be an umpire. He was going to drop out of school. He was going to spend y…
Nice Guys - 365tomorrows
Author: Majoki Francis was helping the elderly lady cross a busy street when the call came. He waited until she’d thanked him with a little pat on the arm and entered the drugstore even though the shelves were almost bare. His phone was still buzzing. Oscar. He hesitated, but knew that was impolite and so […]
The Microwave - 365tomorrows
Author: Aubrey Williams “Look, we understand that this is a strange request, Mr. Human… but we repeat again: our planet’s security… even galactic security, may depend on us acquiring one of these devices. Please, we implore you— surrender your microwave to us!” So spoke the little alien being, its four hands wrung in pleading, its […]
An Exercise in Empathy - 365tomorrows
Author: Sean Nelson Taylor “Christ, these Danishes are hard as rocks!” Damien’s heart rate jumped. The lab assistants were chatting as they returned from their coffee break, ready to begin the afternoon session. Strapped down to a cold metal seat, he was helpless. “Alright, you sick fuck. Time for a little Empathy Training.” Damien could […]
Escape Pod 942: The Eye of Applethorpe
Úna’s dad once said to her: “You never know what you’ve got until it’s gone.” Spring had turned and they’d come cycling up the highway, fourteen kilometres north through a land bedecked with rocky…
Going For A Song - 365tomorrows
Author: David Barber “You’re not old enough to remember Patty Blue, the singer,” the salesman said. He still wore his hair in a spacer crop, though he hadn’t been out in the dark for years. “Spacers broadcast her songs when coms traffic was slow and that voice would haunt you.” He rotated the hologram of […]
Static - 365tomorrows
Author: Cheri Vazquez It was 1978 and I was on my way to a job interview at the most exclusive fine dining restaurant in New City. I’d coifed my hair into what I believed to be worthy of the sommelier position. My satin slacks pinched at my waist securing a silver silk blouse I had purchased at Barneys, my throat dry […]
Those Left Behind - Apex Magazine
Three pieces of toast—dark on one side, light on the other. A cup of coffee. Rosh’s preference is Blend 14, with hints of Sub-Saharan Africa and caramel, delivered tepid with more milk than expresso.
Hopes and Fears from a Norma Jean - 365tomorrows
Author: Jenny Abbott The Bob Hope in the next act is slipping, and I can hear him breaking down a little more every night through the wall. These places off the turnpike aren’t exactly five-star gigs, but you take what you can get—a career in combat leaves you long on synaptic adjustments but short on […]
Clarity - 365tomorrows
Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer My peers are very fond of saying how they ‘were fortunate’ or ‘spotted an opportunity’. The more honest have momentary shadows in their eyes when they say it. The raw truth is that to accumulate this much wealth, we’ve taken opportunities, money, and even lives from others. Not theft or […]
After the Arch Fell - 365tomorrows
Author: Marijean Oldham The Mississippi only ran backwards, south to north, twice that we know of. First time was during the earthquakes of 1812. And the second was the day the meteor fell. In the months that followed, we felt a drop in our stomachs any time we crested the hill to reach what used […]
Lonely Planet - 365tomorrows
Author: David C. Nutt All of us on this mission were eager to explore, chosen from among thousands of applicants as being restless beyond restless to know what was next as we traversed the void. When we landed on this new planet, we could not believe our eyes. An entire continent developed- farms, industry, homes […]
Snow Globe - 365tomorrows
Author: Christopher DePree Kate and I trudged up the hill on our evening walk, heading west of the house to get to the clearing. It was cold, and a thin layer of icy snow crunched beneath each step. The snow was not deep. A buzzard glided slowly across the sky above us, looking for a […]
Simpler Than You Thought - 365tomorrows
Author: Majoki You gave them the names. All of them. Jelenik, Szmania, Guar, Imhotep, Salasi, Yun, Indrasutthan, Porter. Faisel knows it. His broken face, his darkened eyes tell you in the sterile moments of your visits. You wrap his lacerations, dampen his fever, moisten his battered lips, force morsels past his chipped teeth. His pulse […]
Seven of Nine Is a Third-Culture Kid - Uncanny Magazine
Content Note: Racism Seven of Nine is a third-culture kid. Those of us who leave one country for another at an early age recognize the beats: You’re one person, a whole, unconflicted person with a whole, unconflicted family that belongs—until being literally assimilated as a child. You learn to adjust, but eventually—perhaps as a […]
Temporarily Out of Service - 365tomorrows
Author: Hillary Lyon Kaz tumbled through the centrifugal force of the prismatic vortex, finally landing on the planet’s surface with a cruel thud. Medical nanobots lining the interior of his suit immediately went to work, infusing themselves through the pores of his skin, worming their way into his bloodstream. From there, the minuscule bots traveled […]
The Last Refugee - 365tomorrows
Author: Dave Ludford Had he been walking at a faster pace or with any real sense of purpose Ryan Jennings would have missed it completely. Scuffing the forest floor aimlessly however with first one foot then the other, his meanderings revealed something that he at first thought was some kind of weird seed or pod […]
Teaching My Son to Swim While I Drown - Electric Literature
"Madwomen" from EVERY DROP IS A MAN'S NIGHTMARE by Megan Kamalei Kakimoto, recommended by Molly Antopol
The Impossible Cost of the Sex Tax - Electric Literature
"Nia," a short story by Zdravka Evtimova
Just A Second - 365tomorrows
Author: Majoki “Thirty-four thousand one hundred twenty-six…thirty-four thousand one hundred twenty-seven…thirty-four thousand one hundred twenty-eight…thirty-four thousand one hundred twenty-nine…” Clarisse counted. And counted. Her mother watched from across the room. Her nine-year-old daughter was spending another entire twenty-four hour day counting, and Rochelle felt helpless. It was the end of July and usually Clarisse would […]
The Feeding of Closed Mouths - Apex Magazine
When the news said three more young men had been found dead in their homes, Grace knew her mother had come to town.
Voices of Kings - Fantasy Magazine
In the land that is now Malaysia, there once was a tribe of monkeys called the Mawahs, whose king was appointed by King Solomon to be the Raja of the jungle. Raja Mawah built himself a throne on the south bank of the Perak River and ruled the jungle fairly.
Escape Pod 868: Any Other Customer
Lewis was poking at his tablet, trying yet again to open the training module from Station Commerce, when the sensor above his shop door chimed. “Not now!” he snapped without looking up. “But… but I….”…
Under the Overhang - 365tomorrows
Author: Rachel Sievers They stood under the overhang as the rain poured down around them. The dark sky filled with angry black low-hanging clouds had an ominous feel to it. “Do you think it will quit soon?” The girl asked, her damp white hair falling over her eyes. “Do I look like god to you?” […]
Systems Update Available - 365tomorrows
Author: Patrick Hueller Published 3:34 PM, Wednesday, July 31, 2030 Associated Press NEW AI A THREAT TO HUMANITY? Today was supposed to be a big day for technology fans. Instead, software engineer Miranda Cartwright issued a dire warning for humankind. At a press conference, ostensibly to launch TECHtonic Shift’s latest AI software, Ms. Cartwright gave […]
Department Q - 365tomorrows
Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer “John?” “Yes?” “Got another one. Big cable channel. Going out past Bindenhouse into the wilds.” “Okay, pop my contacts open and scroll to ‘D’.” “Got it.” “You’re looking for ‘Department Q’.” “Found it.” “Open it. Click on ‘action request’ and fill what details you’ve got, then forward it to my […]
Escape Pod 871: The Contrary Gardener (Part 2 of 2)
Escape Pod 870: The Contrary Gardener (Part 1 of 2)
Escape Pod 861: The Pill (Part 1 of 2)