Reckon Review

Category: Fiction

  • Found Missing

    Fiction by Coleman Bigelow It was windy that day, and I remember the chill I couldn’t shake. We were headed to the falls, a favorite hangout above town and the perfect spot to get high. My bike wobbled and I struggled to pedal forward on that county road. Every time the wind gusted, I felt…

  • What’s Left

    Fiction by Laura Leigh Morris A woman in a mask cups the baby’s butt, grips her neck. She holds the squirming purple body above the sterile drape, says, “Congratulations, Mom and Dad.” She says the baby’s lungs are full of fluid, that they need to keep an eye on her. I watch, helpless, as they…

  • There is a Season

    Fiction by Emily Addis All of my children turned into rocks. Just plain rocks. You’d hardly notice them. I mean, you wouldn’t notice them; I would, because I’m their mother. Lucky for them, too, because if anyone else had found them they’d still be outside right now, getting run over by cars and pissed on…

  • Dear Lazarus

    Fiction By John Woods I find my dad in the woods. He stares out at an ancient lake and wanders along the stone shore in his bathrobe, naked underneath, his manhood frozen to a nub. We’ve searched for 36 hours. The hunting party consists of me and his friends equipped with flashlights and cellphones, others…

  • Ask Your Mom

    Fiction by Kristi Ferguson Leah stepped through the automatic doors and breathed in the cool air with a sigh of relief. She gave a self-conscious smile to the teenage boy who muttered “Welcome to Walmart,” as he handed over a shopping cart. Sweat dripped down her neck and frazzled hair escaped a makeshift bun. She…

  • Bottles on the Shelf

    Fiction by James D.F. Hannah Brenda’s stomach sank with the knock at the front door. The phone had been ringing all morning—collection calls—so this had to be someone coming to turn something off. Plus, the kids were getting hungry, and the refrigerator was as empty as her checking account. But no, it was Ellen McCoy…

  • Six of Clubs

    Fiction by Benjamin Bradley The harsh fluorescent lights stabbed Maddox’s eyeballs. He tugged down the forest green knit cap so it blocked his eyes, but the lights bled through. “Can you see shit through that?” Jane asked. “Lights are gonna give me a migraine.” “Future problems, Mad. Keep your eyes on the prize.” Jane flicked…

  • Soap ‘n Suds

    Fiction by Sheree Shatsky 1. Margaret wears a pink robe in the laundromat. A car in a rush shouting a too loud radio splattered her filthy on the street. She ran inside the Soap ’n Suds, stripped down quick and tossed her muddied dress into a washer. The manager hurried over with the robe someone…

  • Disaster Ballad

    By Nicholas John-Francis Claro I’d been with Leslie Flynn for three years, a rail thin ICU nurse from Kansas, who had a delicate, avian-like beauty. She was religious, maybe a little too proud, a bit boring, and put ice cubes in glasses of red wine. Leslie worked the 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. shift at…

  • I Would’ve Asked

    Fiction by Phebe Jewell Mom hates convenience stores, so when she drives me straight to the 7-Eleven after picking me up from the hospital this time, I know she’s run out of ideas. Parking in front, she keeps the engine running and hands me a five without saying anything. Mom knows how hard it is…