Apricity Magazine Apricity Magazine

Seraglios of Night

  Seraglios of Night The boy appeared out of the odd blue glare of an early summer evening on a Huffy, I think it was, and I hit him doing over sixty with the Infiniti. Laura stiffarmed the dashboard and pumped her right foot on the phantom brake of the passenger side. We both saw… Read More

Hide-And-Go-Seek

Hide-And-Go-Seek “Oh shit, I think I’m IT,” I mumbled under the thumping music. Stumbling out of the third club that evening, I started to regret my decision to eat that brownie earlier. “Ren, can you—this way,” Nick said, yanking my arm to save me from the curbside that threatened to trip me. He threw his… Read More

The Virginia Round-Leaf Birch

  The Virginia Round-Leaf Birch “The first grafting apparently hurts like Hell. Several of them have died trying the process. Only one of the trees has produced successful hybridization.” Gideon Weatherford stood across from his boss’ desk - maple, maybe, or oak? Hard to tell with the coats of varnish. Behind him on the wall… Read More

Last Chance Charlie

Last Chance Charlie “Have I ever been good?” He wondered, as he entered a staring contest with the mirror. His irises were as dead as river stones. Crow’s feet stretched tightly above his cheekbones like the swirling fingers of distant nebulae. He had been in his dressing room now for 9 hours. It had been… Read More

Go Now, You Are Forgiven

Go Now, You Are Forgiven I took the back stairs to the front office from my classroom in the seventh grade hallway, more out of habit than for any logical reason. I never used the main stairwell at the front of the building, avoiding the corners where the district people congregated. I would rather run… Read More

Where His Eyes Should Have Been White, They Were Red

Where His Eyes Should Have Been White, They Were Red Serena didn’t expect to go home once, nonetheless twice, in the same year. More so, she didn’t expect her mother to be the reason for both visits. The four-hour drive to Ithaca, calming while nerve-wracking, had Serena wanting to turn back, away from her home… Read More

Nothing To You

Nothing To You In the afternoons, before our mothers came home, I was in charge of Lizzie. I taught her to long-divide and which vegetables were scientifically proven to make your skin glow and that off-brand cereal was as good as Chex and more frugal. Still, I wasn’t always in the mood to be responsible.… Read More

Belonging

Belonging When we moved into our home on 99 3/4 acres a family of beavers occupied a pond near the front drive. Our new neighbors brought over meals in foil. They said grace and offered to shoot the pests for us. The man asked what my calibre of long gun was. Most of the trees… Read More

In Medias Res

In Medias Res It was the first Sunday after Sister died. The fury she thrust to Him was unmatched in its fever. Suddenly the Lerwick meadow, who once breathed spirit and serenity, seemed stiff and sluggish as Sister who died on Sunday. As did six orphans in a whorehouse. There and sometimes in a chapel.… Read More