The neon signs glow shone upon him as the slumped man took slow steps to the doors of the diner. His tired hands gripped the door handle and pulled, and the once quiet jazz now could be heard in its full capacity. The building had large windows facing outside, and was quite reminiscent of a 50’s diner, but it looked as if time had quite warped the once beautiful establishment. The mans tired eyes rested upon the dull red of the walls, and took practiced steps towards a booth and slammed himself down in the seat. He tilted his head and looked out at the dark busy street, vehicles passing by almost every other second. A cough came from his left, and he swiveled his head towards the sound. An older woman in a red uniform stared at him, “Well Robert, it don’t look like you had a very good day. Yah look like you went through hell n’ back.”

The man’s hands shook slightly, rattling the inside of the brown leather suitcase. His dull green eyes fidgeted around towards anyone that came close towards the odd man. Wrinkles covered his face, and his hair had begun receding towards the end of the last cycle. The brown leather suitcase was kept as close to the man as possible, his fingers making slight indents in the leather. He reached his hands into the pockets of his blazer, his fingers fumbling around for his keys. The man stopped in front of the small metallic apartment building, and turned the door handle into his apartment. A loud buzzing came from outside his apartment building, and he took a small look outside to see a man in a grey cloak with an odd featureless mask slowly walking towards his door. Bright purple lights came from the grey cloaked man's eyes, and he stopped in front of the older man.

You know, the last thing I expected at 3 in the morning wasn’t by my phone going off, but the fact that it was a call. And not only that, a call from my best friend, Cody. In all my years of knowing him, he definitely wasn’t a night owl, and especially not at 3am. Still, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of concern in my gut. Cody did mention going to Brad’s party tonight. What if something happened to him? Something bad? Something...really bad?

Of course, I was immediately proved wrong when I was greeted with when I answered the call was muffled giggling.

by James W. (click for full)

Ode to you, treader of watery pathways

you who march steadily over foaming sea

and waltz with your lover over cresting tides.

Proud maiden, with hair like flowing ink -

calloused hands and sharp tongue to level foolish ego,

eyes azure like deep ocean trenches that will rest on no man’s face.

red--

color of love, lust, infatuation, obsession.

color of valentines passed between middle school lovers, and roses nearing blossom.

color of decaying falltime leaves,

crushed under feet,

swept into gutters,

discarded & forgotten by winter arrives.

color of blood, staining clothes, ruining tile, a life lost, but never forgotten.

“Jesus christ, Zach,” Nathan hisses as he shoves through low-hanging branches and dodges tombstones. “Why are we doing this?”

“Because it’s fun!” Zach insists as he sets the board down on the first bare patch of grass he could find.

“What’s so fun about...contacting ghosts?” Nathan questions as he reluctantly sits down on the damp glass.

“...I don’t know really.” Zach answers with a shrug. “Just think that talking people that lived a hundred years ago and never really died is pretty exciting.”

“I guess...but why does it need to be here? In the middle of the night? On a school night, no less?” Nathan counters.

Zach smirks and leans in closer to Nathan’s face. “‘Cause that’s when the ghosts are awake.”