Charlestown High

Joseph Hughes

I ate the little shit’s tootsie rolls. Under the Obama’s presidential photo, the president beaming with arms crossed, I slowly chewed my tootsie roll and hummed the tune to Simon & Garfunkle’s Punky’s Dilemma. The kids in my classroom…

Student Short Story Contest Winners

First Prize: “Stateless”

Mina Alali

“June 20, 2016,” Alborz recites aloud as he scribbles on the clipboard. “Gloria’s results were negative; cancer treatment is going well. Keep taking nine micrograms of Denileukin Diftitox daily.”

Second Prize: “Jolene”

Rebecca Wright

I still remember the smile on Baby’s face when I gave her my granddaddy’s guitar. Gap-toothed, too wide, and brighter than a pail full of sunshine. Mama clucked at me when I came home empty-handed. “Delly, you’re a sweet thing,”...

Joint Third Prize: “The Mask Maker”

Cole Andrade

There lived a great spider that made the finest masks in the world. Inside the spider’s cave were hundreds of masks on hundreds of shelves. Each mask was a masterpiece, decorated to perfection with paints, ribbons, jewels and gems. ...

Joint Third Prize: “Mind Shadows”

Cecilia Vacanti

Genesis had taken Lethe’s memories, she was sure of it. She didn’t have any logical reason why she should come to this conclusion. She didn’t remember who she was, where she came from, who her friends were, where she lived. ...

That Window, My Window

Luna Ramos

Have you ever looked back on your life and realized that there were people, objects that pretty much shaped your childhood, made you into a more creative, interesting person? I found mine at a very young age. No, actually, it…

The Ungrateful Son

Dinty W. Moore

Once a man was sitting with his wife. They had roasted a chicken which they were about to eat together. Then the man saw that his aged father was approaching, and he hastily took the chicken and hid it in a cupboard, for he did not want to share. ...

The Sword

Ben Loory

You got something in the mail today, the man’s wife says. It looks like it’s from your uncle. The man takes the package and holds it in his hands. He opens it. Inside is a sword. This sword was used…

Birdheart

Adam Mills

When I sliced the man’s chest cavity open, feathers poured out. I recoiled, dropping my scalpel on the ground by my feet. The old man – a Mr. Clayton Montgomery – lay on the gurney in front of me, eyes…