ALT The sisters of Gamma Beta Pi long held that the goddess was a myth. That their initiation ritual, the bloodletting under the cover of darkness in the woods behind their house one night in late October every year, was nothing more than simple tradition. That the magic they claimed to call forth, bringing beauty and power to those few worthy women, were nothing but empty affirmations. But Marsha Hart knew the truth. "Sacrifice" by Lindsay N Marshall

ALT Looking back now on all those times Dad died, I’d have to say the first one remains my favourite. "The Trouble With Subjective Doubles" by Robin Maginn

ALT I killed my mother-in-law last month. Obviously, David doesn’t know I was responsible for his mother’s death. He thinks it was just an accident. Which is infuriating, because I was finally going to prove to him what a cow she was. "Mid Century Modern" by Kate M Tyte

ALT Memory NoteTM reached millions of willing citizens in days. The result: citizens began hearing a Ding emanate from their phones when experiencing something significant. The Ding tells you that at that very instant, you are living through an experience you will remember forever. "Ding" by Garrett Berberich

ALT He stood with a wide grin and outstretched arms, welcoming us in. His stance and mannerisms made me imagine that in another life he might have been the ringmaster of a circus or a traveling snake oil salesman. He wasn’t there when we entered. I looked behind him to see where he could have come from, but found no answers. "The Museum of Museums" by Samantha Ryan

ALT Sasha followed after the dog, pushing through the grass and into a wide-open field. Twisting vines spread across the field like a living carpet, stretching towards the horizon. Sasha knelt and saw, caged within the tangle of woody stems, there were clusters of brilliant purple pearls. "The Hillside People of Reneltomicha" by Josh Lee Gordon

ALT Tristan never questioned why he was so often the target of Mr. Wymbs’s anger. It was simply because he was a Protestant. Tristan had always been aware of this. When he was younger, he simply accepted it. It seemed normal. "Mercy" by Trevor Conway

ALT Every day we can’t wait for The Show to come on. We rush through our days, come home, eat a hasty meal, sometimes with our little tin tables in front of the wall screen, salivating for The Show to come on. "The Show" by Mitchell Waldman

ALT Perhaps it’ll arrive fully assembled. Neither male nor female, its skin will be smooth as mine decades ago. I’ll train it to recognize my face and voice, understand the meaning of an arched eyebrow and intonations. "My Future Android - A Speculative Essay" by David Henson