PlasterThey say he is a giant, and they should know—they do this all the time, harvesting fresh people from weary wombs. Still, she doubts it. The mold framed on the wall has palms the size of nickels, fingers delicate as threads. But the nurses must be right since everyone agrees: the cashier who peeks beneath…
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Melissa Bowers
Melissa Bowers is the winner of the 2021 SmokeLong Quarterly Grand Micro Contest, 2020 Breakwater Review Fiction Prize as well as The Writer’s inaugural personal essay contest, and her stories are featured as award-winners in Lunate, Barren Magazine, Pithead Chapel, and The Forge Magazine. She has been nominated for The Best Small Fictions, shortlisted for both the Bridport Prize and the Bath Flash Fiction Award, and selected for the 2021 Wigleaf Top 50. Melissa’s work has also appeared or is forthcoming in The Cincinnati Review, The Greensboro Review, New Ohio Review, and The Boston Globe Magazine, among others. Find her online at www.melissabowers.com or on Twitter @MelissaBowers_.
Nicole Sagal (AKA qiorno)
qiorno is a white, Jewish illustrator who is currently based in Portland, Oregon. They focus on telling stories and creating meaningful representation for other LGBTQ+ people through comics. Nicole is especially inspired by feelings of nostalgia, the horror genre, and Greek mythology. They are a recent BFA graduate from the Pacific Northwest College of Art. When Nicole isn’t drawing, they like to take naps, drink tea, and participate in other grandfatherly activities.
