Parva Gradus

Stories

  • Judge Marshall’s Definitive Decision

    Judge Marshall wiped his mouth, hand shaking, before lurching forward once more and vomiting into the pink porcelain bowl. When he finished, he gasped, then rose to a quivering stride to the sink. Here he cleaned his spattered face and dragged eye boogers from the corners of his eyes, flicking… Read more

  • Accident Prevention

    Mel felt his fingers begin to slip over the steering wheel. He tightened his grip and gave it a slight turn, allowing the car to slow a few miles per hour around a gentle curve. As he mouthed the words to a song, hiding his voice from his ears… Read more

  • A Time to Mend

    The sweet bathroom air had wicked away the moisture, leaving the toothbrush to rest dry along the edge of the cup. Its bristles nodded more directly toward the bathroom door than when she’d left, but it was an imperceptible difference. Above the toothbrush resided a mirror. The glass was as clear as to be… Read more

  • Don’t Wake Her Up

    “Generally, she won’t remember them. Those she does remember we will be sure to process thoroughly. Don’t wake her up. You will only disrupt her sleep. In the short and long term, that has far more severe consequences. You both—you all—need rest.” Read more

  • tea?

    tea?

    Black branches cut through the gray sky. They divided up the clouds like tight paint strokes, hiding the sky behind masses of tiny twigs. The naked trees swayed to and fro in waves that rippled through the forest, bending under the graceful wind above her head. She was a blot of color in the drab… Read more

  • A Spring Hike

    A Spring Hike

    Emilia took in the scent of the mountain dew as her feet gently nuzzled into the dirt path. Jonathan, a young boy with angelic blonde hair, bobbed happily alongside her. His blue toy plane serpentined through the air as he simulated the sound of a jet engine. “Nothing better than a morning hike in the… Read more