It is a matter of some debate in Lumenford—though “debate” is too energetic a word for that languid settlement—whether Elias Noct ever truly lived among its residents. Some claim he passed through the dormitory halls the way a shadow crosses a wall: distinct enough to register, yet curiously unattached to any source. What is undeniable […]
Conquest used to be geographic. Power was measured in acreage and borders—how many people you could uproot or how many maps you could redraw. For centuries, empires expanded outward: seizing land, minerals, bodies, and entire cultures. Colonialism was an economic project disguised as destiny. Europe treated the world as inventory: gold in the Caribbean, rubber […]
By the time leaves begin to fall in the courtyard outside of New Quincy, the semester is already racing by—too fast for anyone to notice. They gather first in the tight corners of the brick path—wedged beneath bikes, pressed against the base of the lamppost, scattered along the entryway like an afterthought. In the mornings, […]
Americans are having less sex than at any point in the modern era. The share of U.S. adults ages 18-64 who report having sex weekly has fallen from 55% in 1990 to 37% in 2024. Among young adults, the shift is sharper: the share of 18-29-year-olds who reported no sex in the past year doubled […]
At the river’s edge, a single stem divides the current. Its roots grip the narrow seam between concrete and clay, where the residue of the city collects—rust, pollen, glass dust, fragments of old coins. Gnats hover above the water in small, quivering loops. A film of oil drifts past, breaking the reflection into bruised color. […]
Each morning this summer, I passed the same wall on my way to work. Behind me, the brakes of a bus hissed, and a gust of warm air carried the smell of exhaust and garbage. The wall changed constantly—first a movie poster, then a perfume ad, then a mural commissioned by a sneaker brand. Each […]
The world runs on updates. Phones, cars, sneakers—everything has a version number now. Each season promises an upgrade: a faster processor, a lighter fabric, a “new and improved” formula. You buy one, even when last year’s still works, and the changes are almost imperceptible. That’s beside the point. What matters is not the object, but […]
The beach stretches endlessly into the dark. It’s the early season, still too cold to go in the water. I can see boats with their lights on far in the distance. I scan across the water’s edge, catching glimpses of buoys bobbing up and down. The air pulls tight against my skin, cold enough that […]
It starts with a story. Two teenage girls in a quiet suburban house whisper about a cursed videotape—one that kills anyone who watches it seven days after viewing. They laugh, half-believing, half-scared, until one admits she’s already seen it. That night, the curse keeps its promise. I first saw “The Ring” in high school and […]
Sir Galahad: Growing up, my dad had one rule for tree-climbing: if you can get yourself up, you can get yourself back down. I would scurry up branches as they bent under my weight until I sat perched too high on limbs too thin; the ground looked impossibly far away. When it came time to […]