Welcome to Forth’s Fiction section. Positioned as its own online fiction magazine, this area of Forth presents a variety of unique, exclusively published pieces of fiction writing by established and up-and-coming creative writers. Enjoy!
The plumber arrived after midnight. Tugce could only guess at the functions of the equipment he lugged up the sidewalk—coily hoses, floppy saws, a round tubular thing that reminded her of R2-D2, from Star Wars, her favorite American movie. She stood at the window in her rented cap and gown, looking down as the man…
Even though my husband left me for his yoga instructor, I am still an eternal optimist. He and I met in college and married soon afterward. He was a very persuasive liar. That’s why he was able to bamboozle the judge into believing that there was no money left to split. My ex was, after…
Heather’s car barreled through the streets of Lexington faster than a Minute Man getting his shit together. We were working on our second Big One from Dunkin’ Donuts. Caffeine pumped through our veins like gas through the car cylinders. “David did the cutest thing yesterday,” Heather’s face beamed as she thought of her new boyfriend….
The ringing of my landline phone was bound to be a telemarketer but I answered it anyway. Picking up the receiver didn’t stop the ringing but I noticed the floor lamp was flicking on and off so I cautiously walked over to it, heard it ringing and said hello. It was still ringing so I…
“Life is a circle, you know, the end is the beginning. Did you know that?” The stranger lifted his grimy Giants baseball cap to scratch the sweaty bald spot. Giants’ fans are all crazy. And no, I didn’t know that life was a circle. How did this guy know? And who’d know these things…
Mr. Jaffe is sixty years old. His white hair and grey mustache give him a look that some call distinguished. His body is toned from years of tennis and jogging. He and Mrs. Jaffe are vacationing at the luxurious island house, Once Upon a Tide in Sint Maarten. They are welcomed by the staff,…
I walked out of the Times Square Marriott Marquis and headed straight over to Junior’s. I had been craving cheesecake from Junior’s since the last time we’d come to New York for a show. We tried to come at least twice a year, but last year when Maureen (I’d called her Mo since college) had…
A drive thru taco sign floods an empty parking lot in a pool of astral moon. A jittery spectral presence after Motel 6 fever dreams, in crumpled chinos, you’ve worn that Black Flag T-shirt for two weeks straight. A Gatorade and a cigarette, furtively you watch headlights on the highway, horizon quivering geometric orbs of…
“I was day dreaming, I wasn’t asleep.” Irais insisted. Antonio laughed, short bursts like hiccups. “Sí, pues. Eyes closed. Snoring—” “I don’t snore!” “I know bet—” A flash of light and triple explosions. Irais turned so quickly she lost her footing and grabbed Antonio’s jacket to keep from falling off the low wall. He pulled…
Very rare: blue moon, bright Mars. Both rose just after sunset that late May evening. I stayed out in the backyard gazing up into the night sky until they were nearly straight overhead. So vivid, they appeared to tremble. Astronomers called their alignment “in opposition”. That seemed apropos; my ex-wife had moved out earlier that…
