Literary short stories by established and emerging writers. Karen Malley Roof Dog "You fell perfectly. If everyone fell like that no one would ever get hurt." "I hit my head. That hurt." "You have a strong head. You're American. You drink a lot of milk." Sanja Jagesic Bibby Challenge I don't like how my mom packs me homemade bread for lunch. All the German students have nice sliced brown store-bought bread. I throw my lunch away most days. Or I eat it secretly in the bathroom so that no one can see my big Bosnian bread wrapped in aluminum foil. Susan Messer Angstschweiss "Look at me," Joe said. It was as if he had been waiting, waiting for the son to show up, as if he'd had his opening remark planned all the while. He gestured with his hands, to show his whole situation, not just the leg that was gone but the whole hopeless mess of it. Janis Hubschman Wilderness of Ghosts My bedroom, after the shared dorm room, feels spacious. The walls are mossy green and the furniture is from Ikea: Ektorp. Edward Hardy Hole in the Sand More sleep with less disturbing dreams would help, too. He knows the dreams would get better if he could just stop reading Enemy at the Gates, that history of the battle of Stalingrad he found on the beach-house bookshelf. But Martin always has odd vacation dreams. Clark Knowles Each Other's Business And by Saturday, a whole week without Fellowship in Christ, he was just ill-tempered all over the place. Baird Harper Patient History The Navy. The Naval Code. Nuke subs. These words he was saying were hers now--more hers than his even--and they meant something. They described who she was and was becoming. Marjorie Celona Gladstone "We should pretend we don't speak English," says my father, who has been sitting on the porch in his armchair, listening to the whole thing from behind the Help Wanted section of the newspaper. Sari Rose Sweethearts I h