James Maxwell

“A True Story, More or Less” by James Maxwell

Submitted to Contest #274

This is a true story. What was true in the moment, and what was true on reflection, turned out to be two different things. Nevertheless, it’s still a true story. In the summer of 2019, in the final days before the joys of the pandemic, I had a fight, at 4am, with a 6”8 demon that had appeared in my kitchen.His real name was Ashley Michael Coles. He was a local heroin addict who had broken into my house one night when he saw that one of the downstairs windows had been left slightly open. However, all this only became the truth later. At the t...

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“Nations, Like Stars” by James Maxwell

Submitted to Contest #245

“Are you sure this plan will work? How do we know that some of us won’t die?”“Some of you will die. You must for the plan to succeed.”We looked around at each other in the candlelight. Eyes searched out other eyes in the flickering light, probing for doubts, mistrust, or secret alliances in the half darkness.He explained the plan again. On the final day of the month the sacrifices would begin. One during every hour of sunlight at the temple of Inti. The most pious among us would volunteer as sacrifices to the sun god. The most pious among us...

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“Where Trees Sink and Rocks Float” by James Maxwell

Let me tell you about the waterfall. It was my first time in Thailand, and my first time on the islands. I had chosen Koh Chang, East from Bangkok and close to the Cambodian border. The hotels and villas there were all clustered around a single ring road that didn’t even loop all the way around the island. The middle of the island was mountainous, covered in dense jungle that loomed over the small pockets of development and tourist activity. I had rented a motorbike and was riding around, looking for somewhere to buy a few beers. I saw a sho...

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“Last Roll of the Dice” by James Maxwell

Submitted to Contest #231

New Year’s Resolutions - 2024 #1 - Quit drinking Why: This is the root of a lot of these problems, it can all be traced back to the booze. Money problems come from spending too much in the pub. Health problems come from all the extra calories from all the beers, the junk food when I’m drunk, and the effects of the alcohol itself. Not to mention that Courtney never liked how I acted when I was drunk. How: Maybe go to some meetings with Paul, he’s 6 years sober. Find other activities or hobbies to keep myself busy. Watch the football at hom...

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“Khao Yai” by James Maxwell

Submitted to Contest #231

I’ve decided that I’m going back to Khao Yai. My father is against the idea, naturally. On the phone he kept trying to talk me out of it. “You know that we worry about you.” “I know.” “And we just want to know that you’re safe. Last time you went there we were very concerned. We couldn’t contact you for days.” He doesn’t seem to understand that that’s the point. The lack of contact. The ability to disconnect from society, to sever the cord that feels so permanent and so real for most of our lives. You always have to reconnect but it feels ni...

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