dreamszilla

Zafar Shah's wife, a journalist, gets involved in the dangerous politics of Bangladesh; by Iftekhar Sayeed. Image generated with OpenAI Grave the vision Venus sends - W.H. Auden It was a fateful decision we took on that morning to make love. I slumped in ecstasy on her body, her chiffon magenta saree raised above for my convenience. But something wasn't right. "You didn't come?" She opened her shaded lids and smiled. "It's all right. I'll be late, Zafar." "Give me a minute." I couldn't bear the thought of leaving Shanta unsatisfied. I slid down her gleaming white thighs, and buried my tongue deep inside. It began to fork up and down. And soon she was bucking under me and moaning. The final moment arrived. Her breasts were heaving through her brocade blouse and her mascara was tinged with tears. She smiled, contented. Shanta looked at her watch and her eyes widened with horror. "O my God, I'll be lat...

A jaded American language teacher flirts with a Mexican polyglot overlooking the fertile Aztec highlands, in Jim Latham's flash fiction. Image generated with OpenAI If you ask me, there's too much English in the world already, but I'm not so principled I won't earn money teaching it while traveling indefinitely. These days I live in Puebla, a central Mexican city of four million dominated by the automobile industry. I help executives, engineers, and logistics experts polish the conversational skills they need to wine and dine decision-makers on business trips to Gringolandia. It pays well and prevents me from having to deal with teenagers and children. Speaking of wining and dining, Arlet is my last student of the week, and tonight we're holding class on a rooftop terrace boasting a view of the Great Pyramid of Cholula and drinking a blended white from Baja California's Valle de Guadalupe. The wine pairs well with mild cheeses, seafood, and pou...

Mark is hopelessly drawn to his big brother's girlfriend, and is desperate for her to be happy despite the many obstacles life throws their way; by Bill Tope. Image generated with OpenAI I knew that we shouldn't touch. Much as I wanted to feel her warm hand in my own, to gently brush my fingers along her lovely cheek, and enfold her tightly in my arms, I knew we shouldn't do it. For there would be no going back to the innocence of before, to nonawareness, to the uncertainty of drawing too near to the woman that I loved above all others. She was my brother's girlfriend. Her name was Natty, from the Russian Natasha. She began seeing Joey when he was about 17 - he was five years older than me - and Natty was nearly 16. I felt a particular affection for her from the beginning. In truth, she was but another cute, blonde, shapely girl, with which my brother's life was always richly populated. But, from the very first, she looked at me with a mischievous ey...

A 47-year-old divorcee attends a New Mexico meditation retreat to try to come to terms with her emotions; by Claire Wilcox. Image generated with OpenAI Even with my eyes closed, I can see him. Jeff. Jeff . That's his name, I guess. Before I saw Jeff on his tea mug, he was just him . I've been zoomed in on him since the first moment of the retreat, three days ago. He picked the cushion next to me in the hall, and now... The left side of my body - the side closest to him - sparkles, as if my fine arm hairs are raised. My upper torso tightens and burns, and my throat is parched. Perhaps if his skin touched mine, he'd feel the electricity, too, and be weak in the face of it. Oh God, his skin. So close. If I just moved my hand there, just a bit, just a smidge. "Tonight, we are talking about desire," the teacher says. Ha! It shouldn't surprise me that this is the topic - we are at a silent Vipassana meditation retreat, and craving is the root of s...

Richard Greene has been through a lot lately, but his family helps him keep it together; by David Henson. Image generated with OpenAI "Were you scared, Dad?" Richard Greene is telling Jonathan, his 14-year-old son, and Linda, his wife of 18 years, about what happened to him on the way home from work. While he was picking up a prescription at the drugstore near his bus stop, a group of youths started grabbing everything in sight and smashing glass counters. He quickly headed for the exit. Richard takes a bite of stale pizza and smiles at Jonathan, who's sitting across from him at the table. Between jobs and school, the dining room is where the Greenes spend the most time together. It has a high, tray ceiling, cream-colored walls and a dark hardwood floor. "Not scared, Son, but cautious. At the door, a kid in a green jacket with a hood pulled down to hide his face blocked my way and demanded my wallet. When he reached into his pocket, I thought he mig...