THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS J B Polk __________ On the first day of Christmas, Snow White sent me a partridge in a pear tree, which, of course, took me by surprise and made no sense at all. The partridge was wrought iron, with sharp claws attached to a branch,…
Read MoreDarklings of Crepuscule Planet Mandira Pattnaik __________ Darkness descended in folds at the quarry from where the far side of moon was visible, the only place on Earth from where anyone could peep into the lives of the Darklings of Crepuscule planet. New settlers — descended from the caliginous outer…
Read MoreBright Eyes Griffin Paschall __________ The trick, Master Ollivant said, is that the little ones must be alive when they go into the sugar, or the eyes come out dull. He said it the way he said everything, without turning from the copper pot, his wooden spoon going round and…
Read MoreGolden Age Olivia Joy __________ The hotel’s back alley isn’t really an alley, more like a small gravel parking lot. When I’d askedfor privacy away from the bustle of the red carpet, having me pull around near the dumpster inthe back was the best hotel staff could do. I pull…
Read MoreA Name We Didn’t Like Autumn Gonzales __________ The fairy looked into the baby’s throat, sighing sulkily. “I don’t wish to touch this one. You will have to trade me a favor for its removal.” The parents looked between themselves, confusion clear on their faces. “No one else has to…
Read MoreFable of Ice Wendy BooydeGraaff __________ She emerged out of her Far North hibernation, where the Arctic ice had accelerated in its melting, drowning polar bears, starving walruses, sterilizing ivory gulls, cooking thick-billed murres. She was not Santa’s wife, not an elf, not a reincarnated ice beast. She crawled out…
Read MoreOtherWorlds, September ’26 Editor: Vallie Lynn Watson Managing Editor: Tyler Campbell Associate Editor: Dusti RW Levy and Stephanie Smith Assistant Editors: Madeline Ricard, Chelsey Wright, Joel Lema, and Kathrine Winter Interns: Nick LaRocca Basak Devrim Andreutti, “Dreaming,” oil on wood Letter from the Editor by Vallie Lynn Watson Letter from…
Read MoreVignettes: A Literary Photo Album, July ’26 Editor: Vallie Lynn Watson Guest/Outgoing Managing Editor: Taryn White Incoming Managing Editor: Tyler Campbell Vishaal Pathak, “That Afternoon in Daman,” photograph Letter from the Editor by Vallie Lynn Watson Letter from the Guest Editor by Taryn White Fiction “Olives” by Lori Sambol Brody…
Read MoreSoundscape Daniel Webre __________ Ted was no more interested in the sound of his own voice than construction noise or babies crying. So when Eleanor suggested recording him for posterity’s sake, he was literally dumbstruck, unable to utter more than a faint croak. To his dismay, Eleanor was not the…
Read More