Parva Gradus

Stories

  • Concerning Colors and Stars

    Concerning Colors and Stars

    Ethan squirmed over the mattress of plump switchgrass, trying to settle. Several times he had felt comfortable only to be prodded under the shoulder by a rock or tickled on the cheek by a limp blade. The rock would need to be excavated from the natural bed and the loose blade plucked from its root… Read more

  • A Fish In the Water Out of the Bucket

    A paid 18-month internship with guaranteed employment which would place Derek Giles in the top 30-or-so percent of income earners in the United States within the first five years of his career was an irresistible offer. At the time, it was unbelievable. But some engineers had made incredible breakthroughs in submarine technology, so the previously… Read more

  • This is Not an Abandoned Car

    Woe am I, the wanderer of that steaming country. Steaming with the phantoms of the masses, steaming with the victory of war. Woe am I, who art alone, and who travel that desolate land in search of they who would offer a scrap of their dog meat in trade of tales from the steaming land… Read more

  • Deaf Ears

    Adira took a large bite out of a golden apple that gleamed in the evening sunlight. It was fresh, cool, and juicy. As the crunch of the bite filled the air, Kaya recoiled and her eye twitched. “You know, if you put your lips on the skin it wouldn’t splash so much,” she complained while… Read more

  • Worth the Wear

    “Come on, I’ll race you to the stop sign!” An encouraging voice challenged through the breeze. A young man with sun kissed skin, Kade, forced his legs down a little harder, leaning forward to a dramatic degree. He adopted a look of intensity, eyes narrowing on the road ahead of him, jaw locking back.  Read more

  • Do Us Part

    The wind was to their backs, gently wafting aside their gray hairs and loose-fitting T-shirts. Their hands, his left and her right, were clasped together, their fingers intertwined like strong vines on a chain link fence. Despite their ever-frailer muscles, aching bones, and thin skin, their grip was sturdy, painless. Their arms a bridge between… Read more