Category Archives: Fiction

#buttonsinweirdplaces by Simon Kewin The buttons started to appear on the last day of April, 2022. A six-year-old boy from Nairobi, Jomi Mbenzi, was perhaps the first to spot one. Dawdling along behind his mother, her swaying yellow-orange dress and … Continue reading →

“Vestigial Organs” by R. Overwater A lobster trap. Beaten by a lobster trap. One of the few things that could have possibly ruined tonight. Beaten by a black-and-white photo of a crustacean peering through a row of wooden slats, one … Continue reading →

“Things Can Only Get Better” by Fiona Moore “Do you know the old joke about the toaster mining bitcoin to pay its gambling debt to the fridge?” Detective Wilhemine Fitzjames, of the London Metropolitan Police’s Automotive Crimes Division, said. “No,” … Continue reading →

“Glamoured” by Finley Harper It was midnight, on the sixteenth anniversary of the night the Fae stole me. Garlands of leaves, white elderflowers and silver bells adorned my neck, wrists and ankles: gifts from the Seelie Court in return for … Continue reading →

“Geo Sink”  by John Taloni Alice looked at her ringing phone. A number she hadn’t seen in years flashed on it. She’d stopped programming the name in three phones ago. “Johnny,” she said, accepting the call after a moment’s hesitation. … Continue reading →

“Boy Chick” by Samantha Bryant No one speaks of males of our kind. If one dares to speak of harpies, one speaks only of females. The wise fear us. Few see our glorious visages swooping down to deliver justice and … Continue reading →

“The Mama Puzzle” by Emmalia Harrington Yide wanted to kill her twin. “I can’t wait for Grandmother to come home from work,” Erde said, a smile in her voice. “I’ll ask her so many things.” Erde trotted ahead, oblivious to … Continue reading →

“The Choice” by Rebecca Burton The first time she came to me, I was sat on a park bench pretending to be invisible. I’d been sat there for a while in the weak winter sunshine, hiding my bloodshot, swollen eyes … Continue reading →

  “Tempus Reverso” by Ember Randall This is not a drill. The words scampered around Rowan O’Carroll’s mind like frightened mice. Not a drill… not a drill… The nonsensical litany drowned out all other thoughts, leaving nothing but the klaxon … Continue reading →

  “Doors of the Past” by John Burridge Kari’s freelancers were on the final stretch of the road to Devor when Kari’s amulet began to tingle in warning. The triple loop of enchanted silver had saved her life more than … Continue reading →