The void kills. Insert ominous piano sounds here. But really, minus the faux-drama, it does. In my case, I mean the blank space of the empty page waiting just ahead of every word in every work-in-progress. Every flash fiction, short story, novella, novel. Even now, as I write this, the blankness, ever ravenous, is threatening […]
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Lady Death and the Three Riders by R. Daniel Lester
When she saw the campfire, she knew it was them. The three riders. Men traveling side-by-side for seven days on horses plenty fed and watered, holding the reins with hands plenty drenched in gunpowder and death. Now they were down for the night, warming those filthy hands at the edge of the flames’ glow, cooking […]
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Year of the Frog by R. Daniel Lester
Close the door behind me. Remove suit jacket. Loosen collar. Roll up shirt sleeves. Hands on the bathroom counter. Head down. Wipe sweat. Okay. Okay. Inhale. Exhale. Breathe. Rinse my hands in the sink. The water runs crimson then clear. My knuckles, his blood. Sounds echo in my ears. Thud of fists against flesh. Crack […]
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22-Day Rabbit by R. Daniel Lester
In the parking lot, Stanton Ross stepped out of the Mercedes surrounded by 250-pound bookends. Goons. Hired muscle. Twenty-five inch biceps and IQs to match. Bucky leaned back against his car. His 22-day rabbit was cooked. No more checking the rearview mirror every two minutes. No more dimly lit motel rooms and greasy take-out with […]
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