- Forever by Wilhite
- PTSD by MacLeod
- No More Than a Battered Tennis Ball by Haigh
- Interior Redesign by Connaughton
- The Plates by Heartz
- A Haunting Feeling by Stephenson
The Plates
by Sylvia Heartz
The plates! The plates! I spread them about. I put them in the drainage ditch tall-grass. I set them in the lawn. I lay them on the picnic table next to the forks, knives, and food. Everything should be easy-eats and welcoming. I want to play with it. The Monster.
There's a Monster behind the shed. It's there, waiting for me, not budging. I try to lure it out, make trails with the lunch plates like bread crumbs. If the Monster wants to stop and picnic with me, it can do it almost anywhere now. The plates are all over.
I sneak up to the edge of the shed. Why isn't it coming? I peak around the corner.
The Monster's there. Huge. Hairy. Hunched. Unmoving and quiet. It's eyes are big lidless circles. It stares at me. Why'd I invite it?
Too late to change my mind.
Here it comes.
BIO:
The author grew up in the country, moved to the city, earned a master's degree in architecture, and decided to try to get some of her stories published. She has been writing stories since she was very young.