Matthew Turner

“Horseshoe Crabs” by Matthew Turner

“Is this horseshoe crab meat?” The question was so out of place that Charlotte was momentarily speechless. “What?! No.” She said assertively “Oh…” Bart responded seemingly confused. His questions had been so jarring that Charlotte had stopped preparing the food and had turned towards Bart fully invested in whatever nonsense was currently going through his head. “Why did you ask that?” He was still eating. “I dunno…” gnash gnash “it just tastes like how I would imagine horseshoe crabs taste.” “You’ve imagined what horseshoe crabs taste like?”...

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“To the New Year” by Matthew Turner

Submitted to Contest #74

Richard timidly approached the massive oak door. He hesitated before opening it. An official summons to the Capital was always something to be a bit anxious about but since the new Chancellor had taken power an official summons was now a bit weightier. On the night of the election, the newly appointed High Chancellor had spoken about his lofty ambitions for the nation. He had promised sweeping reform mainly aimed at limiting the power of the Magic Council. Richard, being in the head of the Telecommunication, he had little to do with anything...

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“East to West” by Matthew Turner

Submitted to Contest #68

“What are you doing up so early?” Io’s voice was hush despite them being the only two around for miles. Those dark moments of dawn seem to demand a quiet voice. “Look,” Erzo said pointing to the east. She only knew it was east because there was the small sliver of orange buried under the immense rich purple of the night sky. They were strangers in a strange land. Everything had fallen apart while they were away and the only word from civilization was clear enough, they were enemies of the state. Every one of their kind. Anyone with th...

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“Carcosa” by Matthew Turner

Submitted to Contest #67

Samson had drawn the short straw and was now fidgeting in front of the solid oak door to the captain’s quarters. He raised his fist to knock and it hung in the dead air for a moment before courage took him over and he knocked hard. “Aye!” the captain’s grizzled voice bellowed. “It’s Samson sir!” “AND! What have you man?” “I’d like a word sir.” Samson did her best to hide the quaver in his voice. There was silence and then the Captain spoke. “Very well then. Come in.” He turned the heavy iron latch and made his way in. The capta...

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“In the Graveyard Together” by Matthew Turner

Submitted to Contest #65

“I’m sorry I just don’t get it.” Charlie said as he hobbled along, a loaded down backpack on his back and a rolled blanket under his arm. Rebecca was following the funnel of light coming from her flashlight. She sighed loudly. “Samhain is a liminal night which means that the veil between our world and the world of the dead is at its thinnest which means there’s increased odds of having an otherworldly encounter especially on hallowed ground.” “No I mean get that, I’m saying, why am I carrying a plastic pumpkin filled with candy?” “It...

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“Not A Word Spoken” by Matthew Turner

Submitted to Contest #65

They met in silence. It had to be silent. There was safety in silence. The first to the circle that night was Mary. It was in her basement so she made sure everything was in its place before they started. Even in this task she said not a word. The house above her was empty but the wall outside of her house were open to the world and the world had ears and ears were attached to mouths that whispered into other ears and that’s how you ended up at the end of a noose. A small black cauldron sat in the middle of the room. The fire would be low ...

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“The New Neighbor” by Matthew Turner

Submitted to Contest #65

A loud sharp knock on the door startled Jada. It was the middle of the day and she wasn’t expecting anyone. She had prided herself on being the modern day definition of a hermit; she took very special specific steps to avoid interacting with people so the knock on the door gave her a shiver of anxiety that ran all through her body and made her draw her shoulders up. She went to the door and looked through the peephole. It was a girl, approximately her age, modestly dressed and looking a bit uneasy. Against her best judgment and every insti...

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“get out” by Matthew Turner

Submitted to Contest #64

Get out It was unmistakable. Two distinct words. Whispered into her ear. Close enough to feel the soft puff of breath at the end of the last consonant. Sharon’s eyes refused to open. If she opened them she might see something. Something she didn’t want to. Her husband Jack was downstairs. A thousand miles away. Not right next to her. She held her eyes shut and could feel her whole body tremble. She waited in nervous anticipation. Every terrible possibility played in her head and she thought perhaps knowing would be better than speculatin...

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“Cryolock” by Matthew Turner

Submitted to Contest #62

What will the future hold? Will it be as grand as we imagine it to be? Or will it be more horrific than we could possibly imagine? These rhetoricals were the only thing holding me back. I’d already checked out months ago. Pills and therapy sessions never stemmed the feeling that I don’t belong. Reaffirmations from family and friends never “fixed” me. I would watch people, genuinely happy people, and I would marvel at them. What must that be like? So full of determination. Zeal. They care. They care about something and I can’t find it in me t...

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“Something of You” by Matthew Turner

Submitted to Contest #61

I didn’t expect to think about you when I walked into this shitty hotel lobby bathroom, but here I am. There’s a weird stale sterile smell in the here. It’s so heavy in the air you can taste it. Just like it was back then. If you were here you’d know the smell. We went to that stupid gas station all the time because you knew they had the best Dr. Pepper. Everyone had fountain drinks but you knew that shop had the best. At first I didn’t want to believe you because why should someone know that, but it was true. The taste was so pure. It was p...

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“Bethlehem” by Matthew Turner

Submitted to Contest #59

Nobody came to Bethlehem Colorado unless they were lost. It was a turn-off from a deserted one lane highway that dead ended in a derelict cemetery. Most cars that came in stopped at the gas station, asked for directions, and left before the dust from their arrival had settled back down. So every eye in town was fixed on Opal’s clunker as it rattled into town and drove right past the gas station. “I don’t like this town.” Bart said. “Why? Cause of the Jesus-y name?” “No, the people here are weird.” He said, eyes darting around the landscape a...

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“Not This One” by Matthew Turner

Submitted to Contest #57

The day had come and Jenna could tell. Mark was a mess. He wasn’t actively acting like it but she knew it was bugging him, sitting on his shoulders and no matter what she told him to dissuade him or convince him otherwise the idea was planted firmly in his head and he walked through the day like he was crossing a minefield. It was their tenth anniversary but Mark had been dreading it since they got married. Mark’s parents had split on the night of their tenth anniversary. Both sets of his grandparents had split up on the night of their ten...

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“him & her” by Matthew Turner

Submitted to Contest #56

Him I’m early. I’m always early. For everything. It’s better than being late I guess, but if you show up too early you look desperate. And if the place is super fancy, like this one, you get lots of looks from other people and you can practically hear their speculation. Not that I don’t do the same thing when the shoe is on the other foot but still it was uncomfortable. I check my phone for the time. It hasn’t changed since I last checked it forty five seconds ago. I need to stop doing that. It sends the signal that I’m desperate and that...

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“A Secret” by Matthew Turner

Submitted to Contest #55

“Can you keep a secret?” He asked. Sera nodded her head. “Promise not to tell.” She nodded again. “I’m a snake person.” There was silence and her face scrunched up into confusion. “Like how some people are like cat people, they like cats?” “No,” he said “I am of an ancient and reptilian bloodline.” “’Kay.” She said flatly. Three years. She hadn’t been on a date in three years and this was what she ended up with. Was this fate’s cruel joke for her wasting her twenties? To add insult to injury it was a blind date. A friend of a friend...

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“Old Times” by Matthew Turner

Submitted to Contest #54

“How do you apologize to someone who doesn’t remember the reason you’re apologizing?” “Is this hypothetical?” Jaylynn asked. “No dammit, it’s a real question.” Bobby said “So…you want an answer?” “I didn’t call you down here for laughs.” “You didn’t call me at all, I come here every week. Where else am I supposed to get my Werthers? At a store? With Money? No thanks.” The old man huffed. She was no relation to him and he wasn’t even sure what her last name was. She used to come by as part of a probation thing but as the time went on an...

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