Death Of A Fortune-Telling Machine by John Grey captures the eerie demise of a pizza parlor oracle—where shattered glass reveals tangled wires and prophetic confetti, silencing the gypsy who once sold futures for quarters.

Small by Daniel DeLucie juxtaposes cosmic vastness with earthly fragility—where stars dwarf human existence, while leaves whisper our fleeting place in nature’s cycle. A meditation on scale and belonging.

Our Better Angel Selves We Must Then Find by Thomas Harrison Humphreys exposes humanity’s tragic cycle—rejecting the transformative figure who teaches without dogma, wages peace like war, and dies repeatedly for gifting us thought. A lament for our self-sabotaging enlightenment.

The Changing of the Feeder" by Jon Moray is a heart-tugging short story about an aging widow’s quiet bond with her backyard birds—who watch, with aching awareness, as her strength fades. A masterpiece of subtle emotion and nature’s quiet witness.

The Bogey Man" by Sarah Das Gupta masterfully builds suburban dread as young Max "helps" in the garden—until his innocent weeding reveals something far darker. A short story where childhood curiosity collides with adult secrets.

The Courtyard" by NJ Coleman is a gripping short fiction about a tense reunion in the rain—where every glance, every rehearsed question, and every empty chair carries the weight of unspoken history. A masterclass in subtle emotional suspense.