My Eyes Opened To Darkness

My eyes opened to darkness, as I fumbled around to find my phone. The bright screen hurt to look at, but pain was overcome by the satisfaction of knowing it was only 3 AM. Quickly, I confirmed the presence of my roommate's dark figure, fast asleep. I was yet to grow out of my fear of monsters in the dark; knowing she was here helped me sleep. Next time I awoke, she looked worried.

"Was someone else here?"

"What do you mean?" my stomach dropped.

"I just got back from Ritika's place, but my bed's been slept in."

I shrieked.

From Guest Contributor Vaishavi V. Jituri

This Message Cannot Be Delivered

Old friends’ emails become inactive, enveloped by electronic monsters. My message cannot be delivered, electronic gatekeepers proclaim.

I can’t tell them of being alone. I can’t hear their off-color jokes about paraplegics and suicide, youth at its most delightfully stupid. Tell them of empty, sterile walls. I can’t confess I absorbed their stories of family, an electronic voyeur.

I keep trying. Messages come back.

I drive to distant homes. But staring through lit windows, I feel like a magazine, an obnoxious knickknack among order and precision. I imagine them discarding jokes, smiles replaced by starched replicas.

This message isn’t delivered.

From Guest Contributor Yash Seyedbagheri

Yash is a graduate of Colorado State University's MFA program in fiction. His story, "Soon," was nominated for a Pushcart. Yash’s work is forthcoming or has been published in WestWard Quarterly, Café Lit, 50 Word Stories, (mac)ro (mic), and Ariel Chart.

The Wonder Of Pictures

Beth became chilled from the eerie black and white photo. A picture of supposed birds, looked like three monsters from a low-budget horror flick. Still, she stared at it wide-eyed. What did it mean? Why was she fascinated? She turned the picture upside down and sideways studying it, hoping to find meaning. It was useless. After all, in the digital world, anything could happen. She decided to let go of her obsession and tossed the unpleasant picture into the garbage can. After she left the room, that same photo appeared on the coffee table waiting for the next family member.

From Guest Contributor Lisa M. Scuderi-Burkimsher