September 2021 - Black Hare Press

The Blue Cage

September 28, 2021/by S. Jade Path

by Patrick Shanley

She could still hear the mournful calls of her kingdom, echoing through that grand, blue cathedral as the soft, pink hands of her captors ripped her from its halls. They cried for her, drifting away into blackness as the land-apes hauled her onto their floating shell and took her far away.
Every night she heard them, flooding back to her as she idled in this cramped tank, weary from a day of entertaining the harping land-apes, fat, cruel and doughy.
She would make them know she was a queen. Soon.
She would remind them why they called her kind killers.

Patrick Shanley

My name is Patrick Shanley. I am a journalist and fiction writer who has won six National Arts &Entertainment Journalism awards. I have written short stories and plays all my life. I have had work published by The Washington Post, The Hollywood Reporter, CNN and The New York Times.

Website: patrickshanley.substack.com/

Open Call – PUNK – Shorts

September 27, 2021/by Black Hare Press

PUNK THEME – SHORT STORIES

Bait

September 26, 2021/by S. Jade Path

by Constantine E. Kiousis

Tina swam towards the bluish glow—around her nothing but dark, cold water. Her mind in a fog, she tried to remember how she’d found herself here, but could only grasp at bits and pieces.
She recalled boating a bit off the coast for a nightly scuba-dive. She remembered gearing up and dropping back-first into the black ocean.
Then nothing.
But she didn’t really care.
All that mattered was the light, drawing her like a moth to a flame.
She barely had time to notice the huge opaque eyes hidden behind it, above a gaping maw of elongated, pointy teeth.

Constantine E. Kiousis

Constantine E. Kiousis spends most of his time wandering through the worlds he has created, exploring every nook and cranny and constantly discovering new places and stories that need to be told.
He’s currently plotting new ways to unleash the terrifying tales hiding in his mind upon the world, one word at a time.

Facebook: @KiousisStoryteller

Clearest Water

September 22, 2021/by S. Jade Path

by Jake Jerome

The travel brochure said these are the clearest waters in the world, and God, it’s true. I can see everything. The coral reefs. The fish whose species I’ll never know. The hermit crab taking residence inside of my hollowed out foot.

I didn’t lose much blood when Mr Hermit came along and picked away the flesh piecemeal. These rocks I slipped on have a vice grip on my ankle. Snapped the fibula and closed the arteries.

Every movement under the metatarsal cage looks like a fluttering heart.

He’s got the best shell in town.

And I have the worst view.

Jake Jerome

Jake Jerome lives in Philadelphia, PA with his wife and two cats, Herman and Princess Penelope, who are his editors. Although, he’s beginning to suspect their incessant meowing isn’t actually constructive criticism.

Website: jakejeromewriter.com

Little Brother

September 19, 2021/by S. Jade Path

by Fiona M. Jones

The bad dreams started when he was a baby. He got eaten by wild animals, struck by lightning, he fell from terrible heights or drowned in deep water… and every time I am paralysed, unable to save him.
I would wake, sweating, silently screaming, and slowly breathe again.
The day he fell off the harbour wall, I froze—as usual—in a silent scream and waited to wake up again.
“Why didn’t you HELP him?” they asked afterwards. But my nightmares have stopped. Now in my dreams he is there under the water, laughing, waiting for me to join him.

Fiona M. Jones

Fiona M Jones writes short/flash/micro fiction and nonfiction. One of her stories gained a star rating in Tangent Online’s “Recommended Reading” list for 2020. Fiona’s published work is linked to @FiiJ20 on Facebook and Twitter.

Twitter: @FiiJ20

Open Call – POETRY

September 17, 2021/by Black Hare Press

WIMBLEDON COMMON – POETRY

Facade

September 16, 2021/by S. Jade Path

by Jo Mularczyk

“Look Mama, a mermaid!” The child’s shriek of wonder froze on her lips as the creature turned from its perch upon the rock.
The golden tendrils the child had admired were revealed to be a web of sand-infested kelp writhing with tortured sea urchins. The creature’s skin was a pallid green, rent by a wretched scar that stretched across one cheek. Blood-red eyes emitted a foul stream that ran down the foetid cheeks and dripped into the water below.
The creature twisted its mouth into a depraved rictus that would haunt the child eternally, before diving elegantly beneath the waves.

Jo Mularczyk

Jo enjoys writing in various genres. Her stories and poems appear in publications within Australia, the US and the UK. During 2020 Jo won the Mayoral Creative Writing Prize and a Press 53 competition. Jo shares the joy of writing through workshops, student mentoring, journals, and the Littlescribe literacy platform.

Website: jomularczyk.com

Those of the Light by Nicola Currie – Launches 24th September 2021

September 15, 2021/by Black Hare Press

Tenacity is just as important as talent. It is very easy to want to give up and lose faith in your work, particularly after rejection. But experiencing rejection and dealing with self-criticism are part of earning your stripes as an author, and I’m definitely a stronger writer for it.

Open Call – WIMBLEDON COMMON THEME

September 10, 2021/by Black Hare Press

THEME : WIMBLEDON COMMON

Open Call – Tumbleweed – Shorts

September 10, 2021/by Black Hare Press

TUMBLEWEED SHORT STORIES