Fiction/Nonfiction: fiction

  • This Didn’t Happen

    A story of a possible crime, told in all a clever way: What would you do if you saw something worse? Maybe a car slamming into another and driving off? Or a brick being thrown through a window? Or a murder? You might have guessed that I saw one of those. I can neither confirm…

  • Viewer Discretion Advised

    Lukas isn’t exactly a natural with women. His first date with Amy ends in a way neither expected. This story made me gasp, laugh and cringe all at the same time. I seem to be putting every single Katherine Plumhoff story I find in here. I swear I didn’t know this was her work until…

  • Quantifying the Dent of Bob

    The narrator of this story is a project manager in the most Project Manager sense. She’s trying to use work do move on from her husband’s death, but she’s the last to realize how poorly it’s working. I love the way this story slowly unravels as more of the narrator’s life is revealed.

  • The Ultimate by Robin Becker

    At an amusement park in a dystopian future, Miss Polly holds a spot in line for a terminally ill customer: I’m a line-sit for the Ultimate Roller Coaster. At first, I thought the job would be depressing, everyone standing in line waiting to ride-n-die, but what I do is altruistic. I’m helping my clients out,…

  • Sting

    A creepy camping story with and ending that’ll haunt you. The perspective shift in this story is done brilliantly, and the ending will linger for a while.

  • Crumbs

    A short but potent piece about a woman watching her mother fall into dementia.

  • Black Heart

    A grandfather deals with some trespassers, bascially. The grandfather in this story reminded me so much of my dad. In the stare-down that follows, three men stand. I hope the girls are impressed, because I am mostly amused by guys who try to look tough but don’t know which way is front of their ball…

  • Rat Daddy

    A first date, some science about lab rats, and a bunch of unexpected twists. Read the interview with Plumhoff after the story, it addresses some questions you’re sure to have.

  • These Are the Fables

    This story about a woman finding out she’s pregnant and telling the would-be father goes places I would never have predicted. It’s the first I’ve read of hers but it won’t be the last. Recommended in this thread of gems by Aaron Burch.

  • Gravity, Reduced

    The Earth’s gravity begins to diminish and people are forced to adjust. This story is full of metaphors and original turns of phrase like this one: Some of us dream of the day the earth will remember itself and restore gravity. The accompanying interview with the author has some really great book recos too.