Jeremy Ray

Esther hustles her giggling grandchildren into the store from the rain. They tug her arms, begging her to chase them. “You forget, your bubbe ist old,” she laughs in broken English. Lightning strikes, illuminating one of the paintings for sale. Esther halts. “What?” asks one of the kids. Esther lowers her shawl as she nears […]

There once lived a most beautiful queen. But it was Lady Ann the people adored. The jealous queen burned the lady’s fine dresses. “Thank you,” said Ann; her peasant looks became a trend. “Thank you,” said Ann as the queen shore her bald; it, too, became fashionable. “Thank you,” said fair Ann as the queen

“Mommy, there’s a lil monster under my bed,” said little Lorelei. ​ But Portia couldn’t be bothered. “Honey, we must make friends with the darkness,” she said as she rushed to work, late again. ​ Portia dismissed the missing goldfish: the cat got it. A week later, she dismissed the missing cat: it ran away

“This atheist is affecting your belief in God. Convert him or break up; those are the two options,” said Reverend Pickwick. ​ Celie thought about her dear scientist. His lessons in astronomy— chemistry— biology. The varied scientific articles he shared on the benefits of psychedelics— the sexual politics of bonobo chimps— the heredity of homosexuality.

Children’s author Louisa Kwan awoke, screaming. She couldn’t recall the nightmare but with a shudder, she remembered the word: “Xilpher.” ​ The word, found in no dictionary, plagued her thoughts. She put it to page in a cute children’s rhyme. Once finished inking illustrations of the benign looking creature, her stress abated. ​ Xilpher’s Dream

We called Animal Control the day the tabby broke into our home. Had to; it hissed death threats anytime my wife or I neared. Imagine our shock when our son picked it up like a harmless kitty. By then Sam was terminal so the cat stayed. Barnabas Cranky hates everything. But around Sam, he purred.

He awakes. A nurse sits at the foot of his hospital bed. She hums along to the heart monitor. ​ “Who am I? What happened?” he asks. ​ No response. ​ Instead, she stands, hunts through empty vials. “You have Bovis Stercus Disease,” she says, “Be still, or your insides’ll explode.” ​ With that, she

We all groaned when Ella Gold was cast as Hollywood icon, Gladice Knightly, in Sunset Turns. To give that paint-by-numbers starlet the role of a five-time Oscar-winning legend? What a joke. Our film was destined for mediocrity. The brilliant lines soured in Ella Gold’s mouth. Until the night of the blackout. The lights came on

“Power, fame, and fortune flow through the Totenrot blood. As legend goes, Heller Totenrot begged the devil with open arms.” As Ezra speaks, his teenage son kneels in the flickering torchlight. The boy extends his arms up to his father. “The devil said not a word. Traced down Heller’s arteries with long fingers…” Ezra traces

Hugh had the best two dates of his life with Calista. They couldn’t stop talking on their hike. They laughed hysterically every time one or the other fell on their butts while ice skating. He even told his best friend Calista was the one. But Calista never showed up for their third date at the