Stripped to the waist, he checked his mask, placed the weights in his trouser pockets, cracked the ‘Spare Air’ and dived down through the weed. He breathed slowly and economically, swimming with the minimum of effort. Continue reading Fire Coral by David Oakley
I settle for Earl Grey. At home it was the tea that sat in the other caddy, the one we saved for a treat. A cup still feels like a little bit of luxury. A rock I can anchor myself to. Continue reading Seven Cups by Katy Naylor
‘I’m young enough to be President of America.’
Tracey shook her head and her bun wobbled like the stumped tail of a cheery bulldog. ‘That may be, John, but right now, you’re in my care.’ Continue reading Isolated by Rick Houghton
here was only one desk chair, but we were both small enough to fit, and we tried to spin ourselves round as many times as we could while the internet dial-tone played. Continue reading The Weekend by Katie Swabb
“Never in my whole life. I am so ready for peas rent-free.”
“We’re happy to go the extra mile for our tenants,” she says brightly. “Consider, for instance, the ocelot.” Continue reading Home Under Review by Joshua Potts
When he finished, he shut the door, then sat on his throne and admired his work. He opened the window and watched the birds, the neighbour’s children playing on their jungle gym, the passing cars. He also studied a tall tree that grew next to the window. Clusters of bright orange berries burst from the tree’s branches. Continue reading The Orange Berry by Douglas J. Ogurek
Someone stopped me in the street. He was obviously a homeless man, surrounded and mounted by many pigeons; two on his shoulders, one on his head and others circling him, and, by and by, circling me with him. Continue reading The Burial by Hazem Shekho
You bump into them on the stairs, in the lift, while picking your post from the letterbox. Some you’ve known for years. You say hello, ask about their grandchildren, or their pets. Some still avoid your gaze but they will keep the door open for you if they see you carrying groceries. Continue reading Know Thy Neighbours by Slawka G. Scarso
The first time I saw the spider, I was two bites into a midnight bowl of store-brand generic Cheerios. Movement caught my eye, something fast and primal, flashing behind years-old jars of pasta Lisa had left behind. Continue reading Gargantua by Justin Bryant
I get to school early because I want to hop on the tall swing set before anyone else, the shiny blue seat waiting to carry me away. Continue reading Planted In Blue by Melissa Llanes Brownlee
Charles Bukowski always comes to see me at my lowest points. He never comes when I’ve received some constructive criticism in a rejection— we enjoyed your story, especially its imaginative sweeps— or when I’ve dreamed up some clever title— Major Transgressions, Corporal Punishment, for example Continue reading On Coming to Despise a Literary Hero by John Higgins
They stood beneath an ancient oak tree in a little park. Known as Lovers’ Tree, it was the one thing in their average town that could be called a landmark, aside from the huge fiberglass waffle sticking out from the roof of Carol’s Waffle Palace. Continue reading Wolfgang by Samantha Knowles
“Yeah, you fucked up,” Kyle, his foreman, said as water squirted out of the copper pipe. “You’re practically forty and you can’t solder a joint?”
“I’m thirty-five.”
That’s not much better.” Continue reading Flat Tire by DJ Pileggi
For a brief period, it seemed my parents’ marriage might survive my dad’s fling with the Yugoslavian manicurist from the salon above his shop. Continue reading The Gulf Between Them By Ola Mustapha
After several attempts, I realized that it’s impossible to describe an experience one hasn’t lived through. The third line was contained within the experience itself; it was enveloped in numbness, and the poetry would only be revealed when the experience was described. Continue reading Experimenting with the Vigenère Cypher by Zuhra Abakarova
I wasn’t trying to get into anything serious when I responded to the ad. I mean – I was serious, but I was serious about not being serious. Continue reading The Hypnotists by Genevieve Jagger
Our father had a mantra he used to deliver with the zeal of a revivalist preacher: My Daughters Will Become Educated Women. Continue reading Mrs Brown’s Spell by Ola Mustapha
Its seven pairs of legs scuttle soundlessly across the tiled floor, moving in a purposeful line before pausing in front of her foot, antennae caressing the air. With a sniff of irritation, Heather plucks a tissue from her pocket and reaches down to clasp the woodlouse, the segments of its hard body putting up slight resistance. Continue reading Slater by Euan Currie
Bandit Fiction 