By Nathaniel Minton Quicksand When the mini-robots dismantled a hundred million buildings — restaurants, schools, libraries, office parks, railroad stations, bottle manufacturing plants — people were already near exhaustion from the global economic collapse, the oceanic fallout profusion and the loss of a generation who never returned from the moon. Now children, grown men and [...]

By Vu Tran Mrs. Doan, on the morning of the engagement visit, sat alone in the formal room drinking tea.  She could hear her three daughters singing in the kitchen as they prepared lunch for the afternoon’s guests, their song an old ballad about a fisherman who fell in love with a dolphin and drowned [...]

By Elena Mauli Shapiro Philip was being celebrated: he had just been promoted to Creative Director.  Because of this, he was in a trendy downtown bar being served drinks by a young man with piercings in his face while music meant to flatter the intellectual ear swirled about the room, just below the conversations.  Every [...]

By Victoria Patterson The Case of Miss Violeta Louise Stokes by Walter E. Myers, Ph.D. September 1953 Introduction In order to reconcile the events surrounding Miss Violeta Louise Stokes’s disappearance, I have undertaken a preliminary fact-finding case history.  My intention is to uncover the root causes of my seeming obsession with patient.  This is intended [...]

By Katherine Taylor “What do you want to hear first?” I ran into my little brother Oliver in the plush, bordello-red lobby of the Encore, lugging my roller bag behind me. “There was no traffic,” I said.  “Your sweater looks very festive.” “How much can you take before a drink?” he said. I was in [...]

By Kate Christensen
Jessica received voice lessons as a birthday gift from her son. According to his ad, the instructor studied at Julliard. Turns out that wasn’t the only credential he lacked.

By Curtis Sittenfeld
Frances was able to paper over her unhappiness by helping watch the children at New Day House. Then the new volunteer showed up.