No one in my class knows about the Monsters except me. Well, they know of them from stories their parents tell to make them behave. But none of my classmates would know a Monster if they saw one. I’ve got a big encyclopedia of fantasy creatures at home and there’s a whole page written about the Ahuiztol. I don’t know how to pronounce the name – no one in my class does – but I’m the only one who can spell it. Everyone calls them Monsters because it’s easier. Continue reading Dragged by Jennifer Walne

The Lantern Man stood at the edge of the dock, his light out in front of him. He waited, sometimes hours, but his arm never grew tired. Despite the crisp air and only being covered in a wool jacket and thin pants, he never grew cold. His feet, stuffed into worn boots, never ached from standing on the pristine pine panels beneath him. None of it would have mattered anyways. He was a beacon right now, nothing more. Continue reading The Lantern Man by Megan Bjerke

Snow was not unusual in October. It was unwelcome, but not unheard of. There had been a great snowstorm on October 16th just two years before that had kicked off the coldest winter on record for the city. Everyone has bundled in for the six long months of gray days and nose nipping frost and waited for the crisp rain of spring. Continue reading The End by Mackenzie Denofio

We cannot walk far, even in boots. A long trip is hard, our skin might break. My brother Ibrahim does not understand. ‘But papa goes for miles and miles!’ What I keep to myself is this: another man has papa in his stomach. Continue reading Lessons for Machines by Fred Nolan