The word around town was that the kid two streets over had jumped off the diving board the wrong way and broke his neck when he hit the water. He died, and the public swimming pool closed down shortly afterwards. No one talked about the pool—or the boy—and we carried our thoughts (and fears) around … More A Pool of Thoughts
After years of being away from the spotlight, Lip Harrison decided to return to his roots in standup comedy. He knew that he’d evolved during his downtime and was eager to test out his new material. Like Rock and Chappelle, he felt he’d graduated to a point where he could speak his version of the … More The Comedian
Caesar would stand in front of his bathroom mirror practicing curse words, focusing on the resonance in his thirteen-year-old voice, watching his eyes and lips to make sure he was selling it. Then, afterwards, he would pray to God to forgive him for cursing. He hadn’t quite figured out how to navigate his neighborhood and … More Absolution
(After Kate Chopin) Her plan had always been to outlive him. She was from a generation where you hunkered down and picked up the broken dishes, kept a smile on your face for the kids, then busied yourself with clubs that were filled with women who were doing the same. They’d never been compatible, always … More Tears in the Fabric of Us
Ran Walker’s three 100 word microfiction stories, “Tears in the Fabric of Us”, “The Comedian”, and “Absolution”, will appear in the third issue of The Centifictionist (Vol. 2, Issue 1, Spring/Summer 2021). Ran graciously answered a few brief questions for us. Read the interview below. 1. What inspired the stories “Tears in the Fabric of … More Microinterview: Ran Walker
After decades of writing horror and selling millions of books, Winston Knight had grown synonymous with the genre. People wore his likeness on their t-shirts, carried around action figures of him—some even wore tattoos. He’d written books about murderers, monsters, aliens, and clowns–none of which scared him in the least. He carried only one fear … More Fear
Ran Walker’s 100 word microfiction, “Fear”, will appear in the second issue of The Centifictionist (Vol. 1, Issue 2, Fall/Winter 2020). Ran graciously answered a few brief questions for us. Read the interview below. 1. What inspired the story “Fear”? “Fear” is inspired by the idea that the greatest monsters are not those that lurk … More Microinterview: Ran Walker
Josh always watched the lottery alone, his door locked to keep out his roommates. He’d been playing the same number for ten years, and after writing down Saturday’s numbers, he checked his ticket against them ten times. He had thought if the moment ever came he’d scream, maybe dance. Now he sat holding his winning … More Numbers
Eric’s family rolled into Tupelo like a tornado, and by sunset, Reggie was homeless. The lawyer told Reggie since everything the couple had acquired was in Eric’s name, legally Eric owned it, and without a will, the law dictated Eric’s family would get the assets Reggie had contributed to over the years. Reggie pleaded with … More Eric’s Things, Circa 1985
Ran Walker’s microfictions, “Eric’s Things, Circa 1985”, and “Numbers” will appear in the first issue of The Centifictionist (Vol. 1, Issue 1, Spring/Summer 2020). Ran graciously answered a few brief questions for us. Read the interview below. 1. What inspired the stories “Eric’s Things, Circa 1985”, and “Numbers”? “Eric’s Things, Circa 1985” was inspired by … More Microinterview: Ran Walker
The Centifictionist 