“A Fated Feast” is inspired by Prometheus Bound (1611–1618), a painting by Peter Paul Rubens and Frans Snyders, which captures the brutal torment of Prometheus as Zeus’ eagle relentlessly devours his regenerating flesh.

While the painting focuses on Prometheus’ suffering, this story shifts the perspective to the Eagle, transforming it from a mindless enforcer of divine will into a being capable of self-awareness, doubt, and existential horror.

Through this lens, “A Fated Feast” explores fate, free will, and the nature of oppression and explores the idea that Prometheus is not the only prisoner of the gods.

Anderson Bailey was a young boy from Galena, Illinois, a quiet and quaint town northwest of Chicago.

Around six or seven years old, Anderson began playing with an imaginary friend named, “Miley.”

• On the top left is a large magnet in the shape of a cougar’s paw. It’s ready to rip into flesh. Across the paw in scripted font is: Riverdahl Elementary.

• The once white surface is yellowed from decades of cigarette smoke and burnt food.

In the summer of 2007, we first sat on the beach and watched the waves ebb and flow for the first time.

The city was strange and unkind. But the beach was home.

Stanley sits comatose in his closeted office. His hands bang rhythmically on a computer keyboard. Two tall windows that overlook the courtyard are the only hint of humanity.

Spider spinning a web on the windowsill catches Stanley’s attention. Stanley wonders if Spider knows the design of the web before it starts or if Spider just wings it.

“Can you see in your mind’s eye what you are weaving?” asks Stanley.

“An Android’s Letter to Santa” is an experimental flash fiction that uses the list format as the structure. In it we are introduced to an androind named “Andi” and his wish list for Santa.

“Definition of Frank” is an experimental flash fiction that explores the impact of a name on a person’s life. Modeled after Steve Martin’s “Disgruntled Former Lexicographer,” this story uses the list format as the structure.

Saint Christopher is the patron saint of travelers and soldiers (amongst others). But for how long will the protection last? And for whom? Saint Christopher is a short story about what parents pass on to their children.

Disconnected is a flash fiction story about a brother’s lament over the passing of his sister and the connection they had through their phones.

Fresh from rehab for drug and alcohol abuse, GERALD MANLY, unexpectedly visits his ex-wife, VERONICA CHASE, and their young son, GERALD MANLY, JR. (Junior), and begs to come home, promising he’s finally got control over his addictions and life…or does he?

HARPER SPRING suffers from Dissociative Personality Disorder in which she battles with two distinct personalities: ASHLEIGH HENDRICKS - a sweet Louisiana Creole innkeeper; and AGNES FOSTER - an outlaw from South Carolina.

Boxer MARSHALL “THE HAMMER” MOORE faces his toughest opponent yet as he struggles to comprehend what his brain injuries mean to his boxing career and family.

I had a drinking problem and all the patrons knew it but no one would ever be straight with me. Angeline was different because she was honest.

As soon as the dismissal bell rang, I’d jump into my friend’s ’69 Nova, fire up a bong, and exhale a cloud of smoke so musty and thick that my friends couldn’t see out the windows. The angst of being a teenager dissipated into the air.