High atop the rugged desert just west of Elko, beneath a sky ablaze with a thousand stars, a group of cowhands huddled close around the flickering campfire. Their faces, weathered and hardened by endless days spent under the sun and in the saddle, reflected the warm glow of the flames. It was New Year’s Eve,…

In 1975, my 15-year-old imagination was buzzing with excitement and wonder about my future’s future. Fast forward to 2025, the same individual, now heading towards 65, reflects with a touch of nostalgia on the past while grappling with the realities of the present. In the mid-70s, the world was in the middle of cultural shifts…

James stood on the porch of the antebellum-style house and smoked a cigarette. The fields were wide and flat, stretching to the horizon, where the light always seemed sharp and clear. It was the farm his father had worked, the farm his father had ruined, and now it was his. A dog barked somewhere far…

The morning sun slanted low over the canyon, painting the rugged Nevada landscape in hues of gold and ochre. Drifter turned ranch hand, Nate Bishop sat on the weathered porch of the Circle T Ranch, nursing a tin cup of strong coffee. Life on the range was solitary, and Nate preferred it that way. He…

The fading sun does cast its amber glow, Across the hills where silent shadows grow. The restless winds weave whispers through the sage, As time turns yet another desert page. A horseman rides beneath the endless sky, His heart as wild as hawks that circle high. The stars awake to guard the night’s still breath,…

They smile and nod, raise their glasses in empty salutes. It’s always a pat on the back, a nod of approval, a fleeting grin that never reaches the eyes. They like you, you see, for your jokes, your stories, as they pour you a drink and laugh at the correct times. But when the lights…

They had the same birth date—except for the year—the same name, the same blood type, and were in the same hospital room. It was no wonder the mix-up happened. The college girl glared at the doctor. “How could you screw up this bad?” The housewife, lying in the bed next to her, added her two…

Sundews are plants that trap prey in sticky hairs on their leaves. Long tentacles protrude from their leaves, each with a sticky gland at the tip. The droplets look like dew glistening in the sun. The glands produce powerful adhesives to trap and enzymes to digest their prey. Autumn will forever haunt my memory, should…

The door clicked shut, the sound reverberating through the still house. She pressed her back against the wood, her breath shallow. Her daughter was already dragging her injured foot toward the couch, mumbling complaints about the “dumb sticker” and asking for tweezers. She tried to answer, but her voice wouldn’t come. Her mind was still…

You sit there, the room buzzing like an old refrigerator, static on the TV turned up to drown out whatever’s scratching at the back of your skull. Somebody says, “Change the channel,” as if that’ll fix anything. Like flipping from one cartoon to another, from one talking head to the next, makes a goddamn difference.…