Summary

This anthology brings together twenty-six stories from authors, Nathaniel Farcas, Lauren Lang, Caroline Shannon Davenport, Jon Fain, Elizabeth S. Devecchi, Eric D. Lehman, Brittany Bell, Ken Goldman, Vincent Czyz, Dalton Mire, Gary Zenker, Mykyta Ryzhykh, Kim Ransley, Mark Williams, Beck Erixson, Ibtisam Shahbaz, Jennifer Cinguina, Joseph A. Schiller, John Tavares, Jerry Purdon, and Justin Lowe. These curated stories center around the human experience, fact or fiction they delve into the experience of being human; cruel twists of fate, secrets held, the measure of risks taken, the assessment of faith, confronting one's demons, and the impact of relationships in various forms.

The Storyby Nathaniel Farcas

A young man comes home, but home is not what he thought it was . . . and I guess it is a supernatural tale.

A Royal Pain in the Ear by Lauren Lang

Royal earaches are no laughing matter for a court jester.

Uprooted by Jon Fain

A Hollywood location manager goes to a place he thought he'd never see again—his hometown—to deal with unpleasant memories and the complex needs of his estranged family.

Open House by Elizabeth S. Devecchi

A young realtor is assigned her first open house, a step toward independence and escape from an abusive husband. The mysterious inhabitants of the little fixer-upper have different plans for her.

The Kipling Lampby Eric D. Lehman

A young man buys a magical lamp that belonged to Rudyard Kipling in order to become a famous writer, but it does not go as smoothly as he hopes.

Copper by Brittany Bell

A lonely girl befriends her elderly neighbor one summer after her parents cut ties with her best friends family for undisclosed reasons.

All For You, Sara Sueby Ken Goldman

Meet Darcy and Elliot, a childless couple who desperately want a baby of their own but find they are unable to conceive. Together they discover a most unusual way to make that birth happen—and Sara Sue is born! But at what cost..?

Basement Bobby Brittany Bell

An eleven-year-old girl undergoes a formative experience while trying to impress an older boy by spying on the town's enigmatic recluse, akin to Boo Radley.

The Weeping Scimitar by Vincent Czyz

"The Weeping Scimitar," set in the hinterlands of an unnamed Eastern European country in the 19th century, is the tale of a judgment, a blood debt, and a small band of brigands bent on escaping a gulag.

The Geisha in the Attic by Dalton Mire

A "Southern Belle" is exiled by missionaries to a House of Geisha in 1860s Japan, and her letters inspire a woman in the 21st Century.

Statute of Limitations by Gary Zenker

The long arm of the law has an even longer reach than one might guess.

People on the Roads and in the Gardens by Mykyta Ryzhykh

A story about war, people, roads, cities.

The Fisherman by Kim Ransley

What if the sea is your only friend?

Ricochet by Mark Williams

Teenage banjo prodigy, Harlan Dillbeck, goes to Bardstown, Kentucky, where, after giving up his dreams of banjo stardom, he becomes a master bourbon taster. Years later, with help from his former banjo-playing nemesis, Sam Boone, Harlan hopes to rescue his son from a nine-fingered hitman, Duke Earl.

The Memory Bench by Beck Erixson

Craving a memory's soul makes hot chocolate bittersweet.

Begin Again by Ibtisam Shahbaz

This story captures the tale of two lovers as melodies echoing in different corners of the world, whose soundwaves have collided at last.

Respite by Jennifer Cinguina

The Audition by Brittany Bell

A talented musician confronts guilt over his younger sister's death while auditioning for Julliard.

Never Enough by Caroline Shannon Davenport

Abundant Accumulations and Acquirements. A game? A need?

Schmeared Reputation by Gary Zenker

Life dishes out a serving of the darker side of people, with a side of irony.

The Results by Joseph A. Schiller

Our future no longer holds any secrets from us. We may wish it did.

As My Father Was Dying by Caroline Shannon Davenport

Being pulled away but painfully, slowly, slowly, being pulled toward…

Last Kiss by Gary Zenker

If you know the secret being hidden, is it still a secret?

Art Project by John Tavares

Monster by Jerry Purdon

A man is disappointed in his quest to assert his authority and make others disappointed. As his plans unravel, with his main target's death, he sets his sights on someone else to torment.

Portobello by Justin Lowe

Back in 1989 Sydney, Michael's journalist fiancee arrived home to announce she was being transferred to their London desk, effective immediately. Michael wasn't even consulted but promised to join her as soon as he could. Three days before he was due to fly out, his fiancee rang to announce she was married. This is a tale, not so much of one woman's perfidy, as of the kindness of strangers in a cold forbidding city as Europeans changes all around them.

Author Biography

Mark Williams’ s fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in Eclectica, The Baffler, Cleaver, The Main Street Rag, Bull: Men’ s Fiction, and Gargoyle. His poems have appeared in The Southern Review, Rattle, Nimrod, Beyond Words, and elsewhere. Kelsay Books published his poetry collection, Carrying On, in 2022. This is his third appearance in a Running Wild Press anthology. He lives in Evansville, Indiana. Justin Lowe lives in a house called Doug in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney where he edits international poetry blog, Bluepepper. “ Portobello” comes from a work-in-progress comprising short stories, memoir and letters conceived while I waited on word from my publishers regarding my latest poetry collection (contracts are being drawn up as we speak). Benjamin White is an acquisitions editor for Running Wild Press who has worked with hundreds of authors, selecting titles for publication, polishing stories and novels, and putting together anthologies. His own work includes many poems published in various journals as well as a few full-length collections he finally got around to typing up and submitting: Buddha Bastinado Blues, The Kill Gene, Conley Bottom: A Poemoir, The Recon Trilogy +1, Always Ready: Poems from a Life in the U. S. Coast Guard, and Say Their Names (under Anonymous). By day, Gary Zenker is an award-winning marketer and copywriter, using his talents to help companies and nonprofits reach their audiences. By night, his particular madness is flash fiction, crossing genres to write stories revealing the highs and lows of the potential hidden inside people you might know. Beck Erixson writes about the beautifully awkward world of navigating the journey to happiness through friendships, love, and family— be it blood, found, or chosen. Her stories enhance the importance of positive interconnection, even when we feel lonely. She lives on the Jersey Shore and can often be found either writing by the river, or in it in some way. Kim Ransley lives in Tasmania, the small island at the bottom of Australia. She has a PhD in psychology and her stories often explore hallucination and altered states of mind. She has published poems and short stories in Australia and overseas and is currently working on her first novel. She has also published several non-fiction articles about the brain for news and science media around the world. Nathaniel Farcas (2002-2021) was a 19-year-old award-winning short story author and had been writing poetry since the age of six. His poetry has been seen in the Southern Florida Poetry Journal (SoFloPoJo) as well as featured in New Words {press}. He is a proud member of the LGBTQIA community and his work explores the joy and heartbreak that live within his community. Vincent Czyz is the author of two collections of short fiction, the first of which won the 2016 Eric Hoffer Award for Best in Small Press, two novels, a novella, and an essay collection. He is the recipient of two fiction fellowships from the NJ Council on the Arts, the W. Faulkner-W. Wisdom Prize for Short Fiction, and the 2011 Capote Fellowship at Rutgers University. His stories have appeared in Shenandoah, AGNI, The Massachusetts Review, Tin House, Copper Nickel, and Southern Indiana Review, among other publications. Jerry Purdon writes dark fantasy and horror stories. “ Bloodlines” in Incurable: Stories from the World of CURE anthology appeared in Spring of 2025. Earlier works include “ Beer in a Bar” and “ Graveyard Game” . His favorite thing in the world is to sit outdoors engrossed in a great book. He holds a B.A. in Literature from the University of Houston - Clear Lake. Jerry resides in Texas and is married to his ideal reader. You can find Jerry @ www.jerrypurdon.com Jennifer Cinguina lives in New York. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from Fairfield University and a master’ s from The Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Her writing can be found in The New York T

C O N T E N T S THE STORY Nathaniel Farcas 1 A ROYAL PAIN IN THE EAR Lauren Lang 7 UPROOTED Jon Fain 15 OPEN HOUSE Elizabeth S. Devecchi 39 THE KIPLING LAMP Eric D. Lehman 63 COPPER Brittany Bell 75 ALL FOR YOU, SARA SUE Ken Goldman 84 BASEMENT BOB Brittany Bell 99 THE WEEPING SCIMITAR Vincent Czyz 104 THE GEISHA IN THE ATTIC Dalton Mire 138 STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS Gary Zenker 164 PEOPLE ON THE ROADS AND IN THE GARDENS Mykyta Ryzhykh 168 THE FISHERMAN Kim Ransley 171 RICOCHET Mark Williams 176 THE MEMORY BENCH Beck Erixson 221 BEGIN AGAIN Ibtisam Shahbaz 233 RESPITE Jennifer Cinguina 236 THE AUDITION Brittany Bell 242 NEVER ENOUGH Caroline Shannon Davenport 251 SCHMEARED REPUTATION Gary Zenker 256 THE RESULTS Joseph A. Schiller 261 AS MY FATHER WAS DYING Caroline Shannon Davenport 266 LAST KISS Gary Zenker 275 ART PROJECT John Tavares 278 MONSTER Jerry Purdon 290 PORTOBELLO Justin Lowe 314 Author Biographies 337 Editor Biography 345 About Running Wild Press 347

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