APPLIANCES BY JACKSON REZEN 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 126

“Hey I got you this.” He reached into his bag and pulled out the can opener. Sonya took the can opener and laughed. “Of course. Thank you. It is so fancy looking.”

A LONG NIGHT BY KARANBIR SINGH M 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 126

She couldn’t reach her story directly, which is why she started from the history of everything. We lived in a small happy village next to this river.

LINEAR FOREIGN BODY BY MORGAN ROSE-MARIE 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 126

You’re back at the clinic for the second time in a day. You’ve lost count of how many times you’ve been here over the last month. You wish you’d never stepped foot here.

CAT ON A LEASH BY BEN UMAYAM 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 126

This man had to be standing in her begonias. As she looked out at him, she saw he had a cat on a leash. And he had his camera out. And he appeared to be taking pictures. Of her in the bathroom.

ONE MOMENT TO THE NEXT BY DAVID LANGLINAIS 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 122

That whole day she had said he needed to get out of his comfort zone more, that it’d be for his own good. She seemed to get a kick out of embarrasing him and the more uncomfortable she made him, the more she relished it.

SINGLE MOMS HAVE COZY APARTMENTS BY SE DIAMOND 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 99

Since Jennifer’s mom is a biker and goes out a lot, Jennifer usually stays at her grandmother’s house where she can have a more stable childhood. I love sleeping over there because her grandma makes egg mcmuffins and lets us watch R-rated movies.

THAT HOT LONG WEEKEND BY LINDSAY SMITH 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 124

You two at the motel. Like newlyweds, looking in each other’s eyes, and holding hands, and laughing. I was jealous.

A FIRE OF MEMORIES BY AURORA LOPEZ CANCINO 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 17

My parents asked me to tear the pages from my journal and throw them into the fire, along with my books, magazines, and records. The fire of my memories rose in the air, leaving no trace but a black ashen place within me.

WHAT GOOD IS LOVE BY EMILY GARCÍA 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 115

By the time it’s past midnight and we’ve gone through four bottles she’s asleep on the couch.

JUNIOR QUENTIN BY MIKE HEPPNER 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 124

I met her at work. She was a customer. Her name was Joanne. I liked her looks. I knew she was a lot older than me but I didn’t care. 

GRACIE ABRAMS BY WILSON ABBY COMEY 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 124

None of my relationships last more than a year. This one is three months.

DISCO ELYSIUM: FIRST AS FARCE, THEN AS SALVATION BY URIEL HERSZAGE 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 124

They are transformed into the very thing that will save the world.

TAKING SPACE BY NATALIE MATHENY 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 123

He pours shots of soju, and says, Here. Cheers to good company. I clink my glass with his and smile, knocking the shot back with little difficulty because it doesn’t taste like anything.

NEIGHBOR, WHERE IS THAT CUP OF SUGAR YOU BORROWED? BY MITCH ALCANTARA 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 120

ON THE SUBWAY TO BROOKLYN BY RICHARD ABRAMSON 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 122

I smash the phone as hard as I can. The glass shatters and falls away in pieces, and the guts of the thing spill out. I smash it again and the case cracks, I smash it again and it folds in on itself, and I keep smashing it, over and over and over.

A CONTINENT ENGULFED BY KATIE R MCKAY 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 120

It simply feels so bittersweet that you are finally allowing yourself to live out your life in the way you have wanted for so long, and he won’t be there to see it.

TASSELS BY SARAH JANE JUSTICE 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 118

INTERNAL VOICES BY TRAVIS COBB 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 81

Inside this Tower of Babel where nothing gets said. Put out what you need to speak. See if god is listening. 

DOWN THE ROAD A PIECE BY BERNIE HAFELI 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 11

She blew him a kiss. It was like he could see it rise above the smoke and neon and glide lazily toward the stage, a rose petal in the evening breeze. Momentarily he stopped strumming, reached up and caught it.

FLOWERS IN THE HALLWAY BY ELLEN BLOOMENSTEIN 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 79

I was about to knock on Sally Snow’s door, which I knew was slightly crazy, when the door opened and a Siamese cat came slithering out. “Come here, Topaz,” I heard a woman say.

THE FLATNESS OF HYPER-REALISM BY ALLISON RICHARDS 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 110

We viewers cannot paint perfect figures, so we don’t make art. We don’t have the time, so we don’t make art. We watch a video on TikTok and the end result looks more real than our goddamn reflection in the mirror, and so we don’t make art. 

PLAYLIST FOR THE WORST DAYS BY JAWNO OKHIULU 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 108

A mix of rhythm, funk, soul, and soapbox prophecy cut with love, grief, rage, and acceptance.

DEAD CAT BY MELVIN STERNE 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 96

What’s the most likely ending? What’s the worst-case scenario? What’s the best ending? There’s a billion potential endings. Pick one.

MACHINE GIRL BY REBECCA EGAN 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 96

I want a signal that screams I made it through. On my own. I found a way out. 

THE TRAGEDY OF THE ROSEMARKIE SEAL BY EMILY NEVES 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 103

I turn my back to the cave wall and look out. The slope of the hill and a little green bramble with a spray of yellow flowers partially obscures one side of the opening and on the other side I see the green-gray sea reaching to the horizon. I think I could live here if I had to. 

CRADLE BY CAROLINE GRIEGO 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 47

Not possible, you can’t form memories at that age. Probably a dream.

THE NAIL CLUB BY MICHELE REISINGER 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 72

Funny story—before we met, Henry was dating this girl—not very seriously, mind you—who insisted—insisted—on doing everything herself. She had this picture in her head of, I don’t know, a perfect family? Crazy, right? Didn’t know the first thing about how the world really works. He dumped her, of course. Girl to girl? Don’t be naïve. Take the money. Use the money. You’ll be glad you did. Henry! We were just talking about you!

STEALING HOME BY KAY BONTEMPO 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 78

Two bell peppers, Muenster cheese. Cauliflower, a pack of Newports, Tampax. Martinelli’s apple juice. Paper towels two-ply. English Breakfast tea. Boil-in-a-bag rice, paper clips, ramen noodles. Maybe some ice cream if there was money left over. America’s Choice vanilla, eaten straight from the carton. It wouldn’t be bad. With an uncomfortable pop, he pulled out of her and lay beside her, breathing hard. It was 11.52pm. She wondered if the Shop’n’Save would even be open.