Platero And I: Old Skool Bloodbrothers

No doubt you have been wondering, dear Platero, why Stefano keeps spitting on the ground each time we pass his house and I greet him with a slight nod.

We grew up in the same neighborhood and became good friends. Later we went to college in the same city, where we got drunk together and whispered similar sweet words in girls ears. We were convinced the world was at our feet and nothing would ever change that.

But then...the civil war broke out and blood brothers became sworn enemies.

Time heals many wounds, Platero, but clearly not all.From Guest Contributor Hervé Suys

Hervé (°1968 – Ronse, Belgium) started writing short stories whilst recovering from a sports injury and he hasn’t stopped since. Generally he writes them hatless and barefooted.

Ambrose Bierce Walks At Midnight

I recognized him from his picture in an old literature textbook. It had been over 100 years since he had mysteriously vanished. I asked where he had gone and why and what he had done there. He wouldn’t answer. When I added I was a big fan of his writing, especially the Civil War tales, he just snickered. I didn’t know what to say next but felt I had to say something. "You like being a ghost?" I asked. He gave me a sly little grin. "You get to sleep all day," he said, "so you can work at night."

From Guest Contributor Howie Good

Howie is the author of Failed Haiku, a poetry collection that is the co-winner of the 2021 Grey Book Press Chapbook Contest and scheduled for publication in summer 2022.

Jeb And Gerold

Jeb thought he was safe for the time being; then he heard something:

“Who's there?”

“Someone trying to stay alive.”

Jeb peered and saw someone. He crept forward, cradling his rifle.

The young man sat on some hay, his legs spread out, arms back.

“Go ahead, shoot.”

Jeb came up, and sat across from the Yankee.

“Not yet. How did you get caught in this mess?”

“I could ask the same about you.”

They looked at each other, forming similar thoughts.

“We could die tonight, you know,” said Jeb.

“Life's too precious for that.” They leaned forward, and then kissed.

From Guest Contributor, Dycen Alexander

The Chthonic States

I'm thinking I might quit my job.

I'm so old, I remember when we only had 51 states. But after the war, the Chthonic States moved underground. That's where we got the 63 we have today. It feels like a separate country if you ever visit, though not many people do.

I only go there hunting bounties. The laws are different down there and you're allowed to carry weapons still. Packing heat doesn't make you feel safer. The government leaves you alone but you've got to worry about angry citizens.

It's good money, but it's no longer worth my life.

Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, And The Founding Of The Republican Party

It was their greatest adventure, convincing voters the best way to preserve the Union was electing two barely literate twelve-year olds from Missouri to the White House.

Their first order of business was war with Canada. "We never liked them Frenchies anyway," Sawyer later said.

Next was enacting a mandatory deeducation law. According to Finn, "The principates of this here place we call America had best allow young people to be free on all days, not just Saturday."

When Aunt Polly found them out, they got the worst beatings of their lives. A second term was out of the question.