Outside of American politics, it seems like much of the world has shifted into neutral for the past couple weeks. Happens every August in my world, and I love it. To counter the quiet, here’s some short fiction that’s worth your time. Be warned: none of them are what you’d consider ‘uplifting’. I don’t know what that says about me, but the stories are each fantastic and memorable:

Stan by Graham Mort in Fictive Dream, about a sad, homeless man that comes around the house now and then, told through the eyes of a child.

Hippo Brain by Barlow Adams in BULL, that starts like this:

You can’t outrun being born poor anymore than a rabbit can outrun being born a rabbit. Get as far away as you like, you’ll still spend the rest of your days listening for the wolf at the door, watching for threatening shadows on the ground. Being poor is being hunted. Forever.

Flash Frog published Uniform by Marijean Oldham, about teenagers and tragedy. This one didn’t hit hard at first, but hours later I was thinking about it. It’s great.

It Never Mattered What Happened at Home by Sumitra Singam in The Forge Literary Magazine. From the first sentence it’s clear that this is a grim one:

Whether Dad was drunk, or Mum out cold on the couch. Whether there was food or just the dog and his mange, tongue lolling at his empty bowl which I’d fill with water, saying, sorry, but also, I’m not getting much more today buddy, so quit whining.

Read ’em all, it’ll only take you half an hour and you’ll be better off for it.

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