Reclaiming forgotten voices from the fringes.
99-word stories about women on the fringes and frontiers.
Sparklers sizzle and snap like tiny welding rods. Gina watches her nieces and nephews as their excitement builds for the fireworks to come. Follow the breath in. Follow the breath out. Her smile never reveals the knots in her gut, the slight quiver in her left leg. To hide it she bounces her foot. Her…
I’m six-years-old and have told a lie. “Mom said I could go home with Mitch.” I leave school early with my cousin and our grandfather. Mitch is Underdog to my Polly Purebread fears. He’s my hero. My pulse doesn’t flutter like a swallowed bird in my throat when we’re together. We pedal bikes through the…
I lagged behind our guide, tugging at my daughter’s sleeve. “Rose, this is like a scene from my childhood.” She raised an eyebrow. “Mom, you grew up in North Dakota. This is Nepal.” “Look—that little girl. Give her braids and that would be me, playing in the street while Pa loaded our wagon.” “Seriously, Mom.”…
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Charli Mills 