What's in a Name?
My name is Adam Pierce and I’ve been told a hundred times that it is a strong name. They tell me at the Chicory County AA meetings after we disband. They tell…
Ms. D(ealer)
Cashy softly knocked on the decrepit wooden door and peeked her head into the makeshift office. It had been a tool shed for one of the big buildings on the…
Notes on a Chest Wound
I awoke to the dull throbbing of crystalline nanofibers weaving themselves through the hole in my chest. It hurt to move my head, but I looked down and watched…
Secrets.
I want to see you again. I want to run away with you in the night to someplace dark and safe and quiet, even for just a few hours. I want to trade all of our…
Secret Organization
“Databank X73 is full.” A man’s voice boomed over the intercom of the giant, underground factory-like building. A woman in a midnight blue suit stood on a…
Overcoming The Knife
She returned my sorrowful gaze with a stony glare. I remained in the doorway as she moved about our room, making tidying motions, avoiding the large, austere…
Expositum et Dolore
I am being eaten from the inside, oh what is this terrible beast. It seeks to reduce me to pieces, and for decades I have become its feast. I now sit exposed…
You've Got Mail.
Tara, Will you please talk to me? We haven’t spoken in a week, you won’t answer my texts, calls, or IM’s. I’m hoping that a note will break through this…
The Underground Secret
“I’m not going in there,” I said, staring dubiusly at a cave entrance, partially hidden by a waterfall. Sam had brought me and Larry and Pete here to the piney…
Hidden Drawer
Tom crept into his father’s office. The desk was still there. Burnt oak inlaid with grey marble had always seemed a bold choice to Tom, especially for someone…
In a Dark Room
She hated being alone in the dark room. Being there was her own fault, of course. Having to be right all the time got her there. The instructor didn’t like…
What Are You Hiding?
She smelled his hands when he got home. “Where have you been?” “Drinking. The usual.” “Where?” “Tom’s. You can call and ask if you don’t believe me.” “That’s…
No Fun
Everbody likes a good secret, myself included. Who’s screwing who, who’s taking a little off the top, no matter what it is, everybody’s got their own little…
The Vault
The swarm of glittering crystal platforms moving around the Spire of Secrets is, I’m told, infinitely beautiful. I’ve got no time to appreciate it, though. The…
Away With It
It stood there in the corner of my room. Threatening to tell everything it sees me do. That porcelain bear had to go. It was a gift from my boyfriend and he…
I Picked the Hat
It takes a lot of effort to enter the exalted ranks of The Hatters, you know. You can’t just buy a hat and learn the 38 secret uses of mercury, oh, no. The Hat…
Chelsea
I see her shoulder length hair that is unnaturally straightened and stiff. Her intense blue eyes reflect her despair although most people would notice. When…
Being Kidnapped Is The Only Way
I was taken to an F.B.I facility where many things were going on. People were carrying on about their many things. The place as a whole just felt intense…
Hostages
Markie was sobbing. “Hush now, son, or they’ll hear!” I scolded. Blindfolded, crammed into a tiny space with my husband and littlest son, my heart raced in…
The Truth Will Out
Captain’s Log, Day 8213 Everything went to hell today. Fleance figured it out. “The answer lies inside me.” Bob actually physically implanted a note inside his…