Harlan still loved the man kneeling before him despite the four dead bodies at his side. Sobbing and heartbroken, he’d forced the muzzle of his gun against the worry lines scoring the man’s forehead. The still lake beyond them reflected the moonlight, the whine of cicadas crisp but far away. “I killed them, Harry.” The…
Tag: TRANSCENDENT
A TRANSCENDENT Excerpt: “The Mantoux Test” by Gargi Mehra
From the stories he had heard, Ravi expected a modern sort of godman, presumably one whose boudoir came alive with the strain of westernised bhajans in the background, while devotees gazed in awe at three-dimensional renderings of their horoscopes. The great man’s appearance, however, held fast to the image of the ideal. The sadhu’s grey…
A TRANSCENDENT Excerpt: “Carrion Dreams” by Jude Mael Eriksen
I remember my partner crawling out after the transport came to rest on its roof. He blazed like a torch while stumbling around to my side, screaming as his fatigues melted into his boiling flesh. I wanted to look away as he collapsed on his back, his fingers clenched in agony, but I couldn’t. I…
A TRANSCENDENT Excerpt: “These Walls Speak” by Andrea L. Staum
I never know what I’m going to see when I touch an object. I never know what I’m going to sense. Since I started work with the Clark Agency, I controlled more of what I saw—thanks to my boss’s vigilance. Still, what I stepped into when my palm touched the wall was nothing I could…
A TRANSCENDENT Excerpt: “Almost Above the Tannery” by Mattea Orr
Most people thought my brother Jack drank too damn much and that the bottle was his undoing, but the truth was he could be a bastard before a drop of alcohol ever crossed his lips. Growing up, Jack hadn’t been a nice brother, though it was years since I’d been afraid of him. He’d looked…
A TRANSCENDENT Excerpt: “‘Round Back” by John Pedersen
We get a call to do this job. My dad and I. It was one of those days, gray skies, windy, air heavy like it wanted to rain but couldn’t. Looked like a septic sinkhole had opened up underneath the amphitheater. Ain’t no septic tank there, but all right. A big pit spread out underneath…
A TRANSCENDENT Excerpt: “An Ode to the Feeling of Entering Virginia” by N.H. Jackson
A single tractor trailer truck, when on the road during the daytime—hell, maybe even three or four when separated by flows of commuter cars—is like a caged tiger. If you keep a wide berth, it can only swipe at you through the bars of its cage, roaring its futility. In the early morning in—where did…
A TRANSCENDENT Excerpt: “A Family Film” by Rachel DiMaggio
The more you try to remember, the murkier things get. There was popcorn, of course, and tucked around your feet, a crocheted blanket with granny squares of hunter green and brown. Your brother hugged a couch pillow, peeking over it. At first, you’re thrilled by the figure, standing outside the townhouse window, a monolith on…
A TRANSCENDENT Excerpt: “Join the Mob” by Daniel Loring Keating
I wake to the sort of acrid bright sunlight that hangovers are made from, entering my bedroom through the window that overlooks C Street. Outside, people are whooping and hollering and laughing. The road is flooded with humanity, all of them with pure happiness on their faces. My calendar shows that it is a regular…
Our TRANSCENDENT Authors: a Featured Interview with Eddie Generous
In our new author series, we’ll be offering a clairvoyant peek behind the veil of who and what makes up TRANSCENDENT. Here’s a glimpse at Eddie Generous and his story “To Quiet the Pen.” ABOUT THE STORY What inspired your story? I graduated college during the opening stages of the most recent big recession….
A TRANSCENDENT Excerpt: “Lives of Ghosts” by Zoe Harrington
I can only just make out the image of Annie on the screen with our daughter, Maddie, propped on her lap. She must be getting heavy ,and I press down on my leg trying to remember what ‘heavy’ feels like? She’s almost 140cm tall. They’d marked it on the door at home. I will always…
A TRANSCENDENT Excerpt: “Candlesticks” by Chris Campeau
It came with little surprise to Dom that Oma was up and walking the house in the middle of the night. The nursing staff at Immaculate warned him that it might happen. Miranda, the placement student, told him that it was common for the elderly to sleepwalk. Dom crept out of bed and crossed the…
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