Fiction
a collection of microfiction by Phillip Michael Ryan 1. Still Driving the Undriven Roads I still drive the Undriven Roads. I’d love to say it’s because my dad did, so I do. But I just need the money. And yeah, money still spends on the Roads — don’t
Fiction
a collection of microfiction by Phillip Michael Ryan Dinner on Demand Here’s the thing: my dad worked food delivery like twenty years ago, so he thinks he understands my job. Hilarious. Simply dropping food at a door and dashing? What even is that? From my bag, I produce a
Fiction
01 KEVIN’S CO-WORKER lied to him. Had to have lied. A month ago, Leslie told him in confidence that at night, in the middlest of nights, specifically while working overnight store inventory, you could hear muffled voices from beneath the store floor. Kevin told her she’d been tired
Fiction
Broken Machines They were cowards. They were sightless. They were weak. No, they were none of those things. They were broken. Malfunctioning. She both understood them yet could not fathom their choice to leave. Mara watched dozens of figures stalk away from their settlement -- away from Mara’s home
Fiction
S1 Fitz Jefferson settled into his leather office chair for a rushed lunch between lectures, hands navigating a mindless pre-lunch ritual, eyes locked on the innocuous pair of black glasses resting on his desk, mind thinking of the world that lived inside them. “Welcome back, Fitz,” a faceless voice said.
Fiction
Khavich, Ninety miles outside the Holy City of Lavinia Eleventh Cycle of the Regency, the year 1073 Father Verian crossed the threshold of the doorway at the bottom of the staircase. He had expected the need to remove his cloak as soon as he entered, but he felt the urge
Fiction
TREVOR WOKE UP like he always did: to the sound of Vizi telling him it was six o'clock in the morning. Volume increasing with each declaration. They were programmed to know how loud to speak in order to bring him out of his morning sleep stage, but Trevor
Fiction
Hannah eyed her husband from the other end of the couch and felt the smile overtake her face. He looked casual, reading his book like he always did. She saw his eyes turn toward her without his head moving. Her thing was to stare at him until he laughed, and
Fiction
You know that age-old cliche, "Where do you see yourself in five years?" Luke Wallace never thought he'd answer that question with a description of his current situation, standing behind a stranger and struggling to decide whether to swing twenty-four inches of corroded iron at the
Fiction
The sandwich I assembled this morning does not taste right. I was so careful about how much mayo I put on it because anything more than a single spread makes me gag. I wonder if the ham was out of date. I won’t be able to get any more
Fiction
The boy squinted into the darkness of the tunnel that swallowed the road leading out of Rest Area. Pot-holes dotted the road, bad enough to break an ankle if you stepped the wrong way. The boy was far enough from his house today that he felt lightheaded and weak. Some
Fiction
Greg gently angled the steering wheel with his free hand to help his pick up glide through the bend in the road while he turned the radio up louder than he prefered it. He heard the nasally voice of the talk show host rambling back and forth with an equally