Zach Murphy

Spiders on Goodrich Avenue

by: Zach Murphy

A fine mist lingered as Dao went for an early morning run on Goodrich Avenue. The only problem with running before the sunrise was that she was the first person to brush into all the spiderwebs that formed overnight. It isn’t a particularly comfortable feeling — sticky strings clinging to your face when you’re going full speed. Dao didn’t fault the spiders, though. In fact, she admired their ways. How did they spin such stunning webs of intricate beauty? On the way back to her small art studio full of vivid acrylic paintings and meticulous clay sculptures, Dao noticed that one of her shoes had become untied. After tying the laces in a tightly crafted knot, Dao popped back up and gazed upon an imposing mansion. The thing looked more like a castle than a home. Ambitious vines sprawled across the bricks, as if wanting to smother the enormous structure into oblivion. Dao stood there and wondered how much it would cost just to heat the inside of the place, especially if the people living there had cold hearts.

Just then, an elderly man who was wearing a painfully obvious wig and a bitter scowl on his face poked his head outside of the lumbering front door and yelled “Do you have a problem, miss?” “No,” Dao answered, quietly. “Then why are you standing there staring at my house?” the old man asked.

Dao paused.

“It’s ugly,” she said. Dao sped off with a satisfied smirk on her face. I am a spider, she thought to herself.

Magnets

by: Emily Rose Schanowski

My dad sent me a box of various thoughtful gifts for my twenty-sixth birthday, and one of them is something called “thinking putty.” I would call it advanced silly putty. A large magnet is included for the purpose of charging up the putty and sticking it to things. It’s very neat. However, the warning label caught my eye.

Warning: contains strong magnet. Swallowed magnets can stick together across intestines causing serious infections and death. Seek immediate medical attention if magnet(s) are swallowed or inhaled.”

Well, that’s terrifying. I’ve never eaten magnets. I don’t plan to breathe them in. I’ve made it twenty-six years without any magnet issues. But now any time I’m near a fridge or a cute store display I think, “remember, MAKE SURE you don’t eat the magnets!”

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No Thanks! Issue 1: Performative Apologies & Valuing Identities for What They Provide You by: Chris Talbot-Heindl

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