Author

Dani Atkinson

Dani Atkinson's Japanese ESL students sometimes look at her like they think English is an elaborate joke she's playing on them. Every time she has to explain things like silent letters, she starts to wonder if they're right. Reading and writing copiously in her spare time helps remind her that no, no, this is totally a real thing. She also draws under the deviantart handle Dejadrew, and annotates the poetry of a famous time-traveling mad scientist at madpoetist.livejournal.com . This is her first published prose story.

http://madpoetist.livejournal.com/

Bedtime Before Lightning

The assistant croons as she rocks the jars; livers and ears and brains and hearts. "Little one, or ones. However many you are. Would you like to hear a story?" Once, there was a girl who got hurt. Her body shattered and shredded so badly she should have died. But she was saved…

Seven Reasons your Blind Date is staring at the Mysterious Iron Ring on Your Hand

1. It marks you as a member of the ancient secret society which is sworn enemies with his. Soon the ground will open and drop you both into the ancient sacred dueling grounds, deep in the hollow chasms and catacombs beneath this city's false skin, and you will draw the enchanted…

Incarnate

Once there was a god. And that god was you. Yes, you, sweetie! It was and is and will be reborn eternally, this god. You are given form and walk among us again and again. For we have chained you. We chained you in this adorable body, we chained you with these ten itty bitty…

Good Little Girls

My mommy tells me a story. She says there can't be a monster in my closet, because monsters only hide in the closet of bad little girls. They can smell the bad things you do or think of doing or want to do, and it draws them in. Good little girls whose mommies and daddies love…

Ghost Night

***Editor's Note: Issues of Self-Harm in the Adult Story that Follows*** It's a Ghost Night tonight. The weather reports all agreed for a change, and nobody really needed the warning. The birds aren't flying. They're perched low on fence posts and bushes, grumpy and silent,…

Cover Letter

From Janey Doherty, 212 First St. West, Claresbridge, AB, T7H 0T0 Phone: 403.555.0186 Email: [email protected] March 10, 2014. To The Monster in my Closet, 212 First St. West, Claresbridge, AB, T7H 0T0 Dear M. Monster, I am writing to inquire about possible openings at your…

All Upon A Time

Once upon a time there was a Giant Killer who was in town when a ball was announced inviting all eligible maidens to the palace, but she did not go, because she was only passing through on her way to another story. Which is just as well. She almost certainly could have won the…

Hap.py

***Editor's Note: Our apologies - the limitations of our format (and attempts to be readable across many different email programs) mean that this story does not have the right spacing, or indentation. Please imagine that it does.*** # You liked showing me the ancient tech in…

Said the Princess

Once upon a time in a far off land, in a tiny room, in a tall tower, at the centre of a vast and impenetrable maze, the princess Adrienna cocked her head and frowned. "Who said that?" said the princess. She looked around the tower room, but saw no one. "This isn't funny. Who's…