Woman’s Knife Ruby had called in all her favors for the obsidian. A very unfeminine request, some remarked. She hadn’t collected the sharp edged slab of obsidian. Her brother’s friend, obsessed with conquering mountains, left it at her door. It all boiled down to glass. A frozen pool of translucent black that cut her fingers … Continue reading Woman’s Knife * Dead Skin * Stealing Canoes by Sloan Thomas
Upsherin (Yiddish, lit. “shear off”) is a haircutting ceremony observed by a wide cross-section of Jews and is particularly popular in Haredi Jewish communities. It is typically held when a boy turns three years old. (Wikipedia) Payos are the (often curled) sidelocks worn by some Orthodox men. Tzitzis are the fringes that hang from a … Continue reading The Shearing of Yossi Mandelbaum by Anna Lea Jancewicz
The boy made of water doesn’t answer the door when the neighbors come knocking. He’s lived alone for a long time now, and people frighten him. He has seen their cars come up the winding drive, has heard their voices at the door. His mother is the woman who made him. She was a mad … Continue reading A Soft Heart by Cathy Ulrich
Benicio Armando Solis set aside the noose he was weaving when the severed hand washed ashore. Benicio had been exiled to one of the outer islands of Rubio for longer than he could remember, penance for a crime of passion he was indeed guilty of committing. For the first several years he tried everything to … Continue reading The Hand that Washed Ashore by Kurt Newton
“Naflah is very beautiful,” Father says as he guides Fazil into the majlis. “Much more beautiful than the first sister. Come and see.” Fazil enters the room, followed by his three wives. He is tall and smug, a picture of self-righteousness and power. He wears robes purchased with our dead sister’s gold; he demands coffee … Continue reading Diprosopus by Christina Dalcher
When we here at Syntax and Salt started talking about creating a place to showcase magical realism short stories I knew there would be pieces from within our group that would do so well at setting the stage for our project. This piece by Jen Todhunter makes me think of a flame cupped against the … Continue reading The Alabaster Man by Jennifer Todhunter