Dark Moments
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alt="The Juggler by Caoimhin Kennedy"
class="motion-reduce"
loading="lazy"
width="1200"
height="630"
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The Juggler by Caoimhin Kennedy
The urge to piss led him behind the tent. He unzipped and released. Footsteps forced a halt to his relief. He turned and there the Juggler stood. Three balls tossed...
The Juggler by Caoimhin Kennedy
The urge to piss led him behind the tent. He unzipped and released. Footsteps forced a halt to his relief. He turned and there the Juggler stood. Three balls tossed...
sizes="(min-width: 1200px) 550px, (min-width: 750px) calc((100vw - 130px) / 2), calc((100vw - 50px) / 2)"
alt="Nightmares at the Circus by Liam Hogan"
class="motion-reduce"
loading="lazy"
width="1200"
height="630"
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Nightmares at the Circus by Liam Hogan
There was no net. There was no audience, either. Not a live one, anyway. Just corpses, staring up into the big top. If Sally didn't make it to the waiting...
Nightmares at the Circus by Liam Hogan
There was no net. There was no audience, either. Not a live one, anyway. Just corpses, staring up into the big top. If Sally didn't make it to the waiting...
sizes="(min-width: 1200px) 550px, (min-width: 750px) calc((100vw - 130px) / 2), calc((100vw - 50px) / 2)"
alt="Near Miss by Sophie Wagner"
class="motion-reduce"
loading="lazy"
width="1200"
height="630"
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Near Miss by Sophie Wagner
Blindfolded and arms outstretched, he turned to the crowd and asked for a volunteer. No one moved. After a moment, a clown stepped into the crowd and hauled a sobbing...
Near Miss by Sophie Wagner
Blindfolded and arms outstretched, he turned to the crowd and asked for a volunteer. No one moved. After a moment, a clown stepped into the crowd and hauled a sobbing...
sizes="(min-width: 1200px) 550px, (min-width: 750px) calc((100vw - 130px) / 2), calc((100vw - 50px) / 2)"
alt="Clowning Around by Blaise Langlois"
class="motion-reduce"
loading="lazy"
width="1200"
height="630"
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Clowning Around by Blaise Langlois
I had been in the tent for most of the afternoon, sticky from the August heat. So far, most of the applicants had been rather underwhelming. Just then, an awkward...
Clowning Around by Blaise Langlois
I had been in the tent for most of the afternoon, sticky from the August heat. So far, most of the applicants had been rather underwhelming. Just then, an awkward...
sizes="(min-width: 1200px) 550px, (min-width: 750px) calc((100vw - 130px) / 2), calc((100vw - 50px) / 2)"
alt="The Naughty List by Les Talma"
class="motion-reduce"
loading="lazy"
width="1200"
height="630"
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The Naughty List by Les Talma
She made a deal with Santa. It was uncommon, but she had been very good, while others had been very bad. So bad that they’d driven her best friend to...
The Naughty List by Les Talma
She made a deal with Santa. It was uncommon, but she had been very good, while others had been very bad. So bad that they’d driven her best friend to...
sizes="(min-width: 1200px) 550px, (min-width: 750px) calc((100vw - 130px) / 2), calc((100vw - 50px) / 2)"
alt="Into Every Life Falls a Little Rain, Dear by Steven Holding"
class="motion-reduce"
loading="lazy"
width="1200"
height="630"
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Into Every Life Falls a Little Rain, Dear by St...
‘Tis goodwill season and the Devil’s fuming. Despite different addresses (one red-hot, another ice cold), post destined for the pole keeps appearing. Incorrect grammar’s the reason: lists from mixed-up kids...
Into Every Life Falls a Little Rain, Dear by St...
‘Tis goodwill season and the Devil’s fuming. Despite different addresses (one red-hot, another ice cold), post destined for the pole keeps appearing. Incorrect grammar’s the reason: lists from mixed-up kids...
sizes="(min-width: 1200px) 550px, (min-width: 750px) calc((100vw - 130px) / 2), calc((100vw - 50px) / 2)"
alt="Daddy's Little Girl by Blaise Langlois"
class="motion-reduce"
loading="lazy"
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height="630"
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Daddy's Little Girl by Blaise Langlois
The note, propped up against a plate of cookies, read: For Santa. No persuasion was required—St Nick had come to expect such delicacies. After washing down the treats with a...
Daddy's Little Girl by Blaise Langlois
The note, propped up against a plate of cookies, read: For Santa. No persuasion was required—St Nick had come to expect such delicacies. After washing down the treats with a...
sizes="(min-width: 1200px) 550px, (min-width: 750px) calc((100vw - 130px) / 2), calc((100vw - 50px) / 2)"
alt="Spam Christmas by W. Ed George"
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height="630"
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Spam Christmas by W. Ed George
Germans herald the Holy Child with breads, pickles and wurst. “Yummy,” decrees my mother-in-law from Dusseldorf each year; I call it “Spam Christmas.” She takes umbrage; injects politics, money, my...
Spam Christmas by W. Ed George
Germans herald the Holy Child with breads, pickles and wurst. “Yummy,” decrees my mother-in-law from Dusseldorf each year; I call it “Spam Christmas.” She takes umbrage; injects politics, money, my...
sizes="(min-width: 1200px) 550px, (min-width: 750px) calc((100vw - 130px) / 2), calc((100vw - 50px) / 2)"
alt="Santa Baby by Lindsey Harrington"
class="motion-reduce"
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width="1200"
height="630"
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Santa Baby by Lindsey Harrington
She licks her lips and surveys his upside-down, unconscious face. Sugarplum eyes to shuck, button nose to bite off, and bowed lips that will twist and stretch with each procedure,...
Santa Baby by Lindsey Harrington
She licks her lips and surveys his upside-down, unconscious face. Sugarplum eyes to shuck, button nose to bite off, and bowed lips that will twist and stretch with each procedure,...
sizes="(min-width: 1200px) 550px, (min-width: 750px) calc((100vw - 130px) / 2), calc((100vw - 50px) / 2)"
alt="It's Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas by Simon Clarke"
class="motion-reduce"
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height="630"
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It's Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas by ...
Christmas tomorrow, we need to make space for the family. They had planned a move to Australia; I blamed our son, Mary blamed the daughter-in-law. We would never see the...
It's Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas by ...
Christmas tomorrow, we need to make space for the family. They had planned a move to Australia; I blamed our son, Mary blamed the daughter-in-law. We would never see the...
sizes="(min-width: 1200px) 550px, (min-width: 750px) calc((100vw - 130px) / 2), calc((100vw - 50px) / 2)"
alt="Maybe Next Year by Sophie Wagner"
class="motion-reduce"
loading="lazy"
width="1200"
height="630"
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Maybe Next Year by Sophie Wagner
“What do you think, Stephen? Have we been good this year?” “For his sake,” he said, “let's hope so.” Santa lay spread eagle atop a pile of coal, held in...
Maybe Next Year by Sophie Wagner
“What do you think, Stephen? Have we been good this year?” “For his sake,” he said, “let's hope so.” Santa lay spread eagle atop a pile of coal, held in...
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alt="Season of Giving by Brianna Witte"
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Season of Giving by Brianna Witte
I snatched up the large present under the Christmas tree, the bright red wrapping paper dropping to the ground in shreds. I opened the white box, my little heart racing...
Season of Giving by Brianna Witte
I snatched up the large present under the Christmas tree, the bright red wrapping paper dropping to the ground in shreds. I opened the white box, my little heart racing...