This is a signup for the December 18 issue; the text deadline for the issue is Tuesday, December 5 and the art deadline is Saturday, December 16. Please reply to this post if you plan to submit a story or artwork for this issue, indicating whether you are interested in contributing to the issue as an author and/or artist, and […]
Author Archives: ssbb-admin
30
Oct
In the Playroom, with the Reanimated Couple
by Cattus Politterarum Bobby pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of the tallest tower silhouetted against the sky, moonlight reflecting from what was left of the windows. He texted it to Lucas: Bobby_Miller [9:38PM] Proof The reply dots churned instantly: LucasHottie [9:39PM] you’re not even inside yet and you have to stay […]
30
Oct
a ghost without a soul
by Viy Sitante My name is Clarinda. My daddy is Clarito and my momma is Miss Maede. I have to call her Miss Maede because she hates being old, but she doesn’t look old at all. She also says calling her ‘momma’ is degrading, so I call her Miss Maede. She looks awfully happy […]
30
Oct
Over My Dead Body
by shukyou (主教) Eyes first. If I can get the eyes open, I’m good. If not, the meat’s too far gone, which means I have to try again, and I hate fucking trying again. This time’s okay, though. Eyelids roll up surprisingly easy, even if it takes the eyes themselves a minute. That’s fine, […]
29
Oct
Weighed and Wanting
by Togi Kayako (土宜草子) Despite the shots they’d tossed back and the perilous heels of their thigh-high boots, Martinet managed to walk in a straight line. They were riding high on a sense of accomplishment until they hit the next major street and were suddenly faced with herds of roving trick-or-treaters. Dodging sticky-fingered kids without […]
29
Oct
Imagine travelling so far
by Hyakunichisou 13 (百日草 十三) “Oh my god, what is that smell?” Peter demanded through the hands cupped futilely over his nose and mouth. “Fresh country air?” The edge of Duncan’s mouth quirked as Peter gave him a look. “Manure spreader.” Peter’s gaze followed Duncan’s gesture to a field up ahead. “You’re joking.” “What makes […]
29
Oct
The Knight, The Dragon, and The Princess
by Shallow Grave The man in clanking armor trudged with choked breath up the long turret stair, through the clouds of thick smoke streaming from the Dragon’s slack jaw. The Princess had listened to the battle rage from courtyard to tower; heard the crash, the rattle, the groan as the Dragon had collapsed, defeated, at […]
29
Oct
If We Shadows Have Offended
by stills 1954, Vermont Each classroom of Hathaway Ladies College had a heavy clock over the door, the long minute hand of which acted as a conductor’s baton upon the scores of girls perched upon the benches of the lecture hall. As the hand drew nearer the top of the hour, a concerted susurrus […]
29
Oct
The real cause of the Zanclean flood
By Someone Else Researchers from the Quantitative Geology lab at Pannonian Coast University are pioneering an exciting new technique for understanding the earth. Using the latest advances in artificial intelligence and information theory, Quantitative Geology lab members can now translate microseismic waves into language. The resulting conversations are very slow, but using historical seismic records […]
29
Oct
Angel
by Cowboy Rider “We caught one!” Sariel could scarcely hear the triumphant exclamation over the pounding of his heart. His wings were pinned tightly to his body, and his ankles and wrists were held firm in warm, harsh hands. Before he could utter a sound he was hoisted up and tossed onto a sparsely clothed […]
29
Oct
for as long as the light does not reach us
by zerodignity November 17 — There is a single window at the far end of the attic, and the afternoon light that falls through it is gray, so gray and flat that it casts no shadows about the room. It admits only a shapeless gloom, an oppressive damp, and the distant sounds from the street […]
29
Oct
Honest Work
by juou no zan (女王のザン) When General Nateno decided they were going to invade Kepprala, Haran was excited. He’d never been that far east, since he wasn’t a strong enough fighter or a sneaky enough spy to be sent out of the grasslands on his own. When General Nateno decided they were going to settle […]
29
Oct
Mother’s Daughter
by Suzuran illustrated by Лусхүү (Luskhuu) It felt like falling, at first. It felt like a sudden shift in angle, and gravity pulling him down, but there was no ground for him to hit, nothing to break the fall. It felt like an inexorable sinking, like some endless elevator, and then, just as suddenly, he […]
29
Oct
Sour Grapes
by Arbitrary Delight That the investor conference took place in Niagara Falls was better than the middle of nowhere, but just barely because Niagara Falls was the cheap Vegas of Canada. Hart would never have gotten to go if his boss wasn’t Zimmerman, Director of the Finance Department. He was lucky to be his secretary […]
