Skybound

by | Jan 14, 2026

The plane’s wing fell off, again. Elena looked down at the air traffic controllers arguing down below. They looked like flies with their massive headsets. No, not flies, ants. Flies could at least fly. She stretched up her arms towards the sky and tried standing on...

Returning to Rodina

by | Jan 14, 2026

I like to think I inherited the Dostoevsky Idiot gene from my papa. I mean that as a compliment. Papa is honest and always says what’s on his mind. So when he spat and said “chert poberi” (damn it) upon learning that the Martini Bar by JFK’s Gate 9 didn’t serve any...

Road

by | Jan 14, 2026

We were headed to the Sheremetyevo airport. This would be the last ride in our dearly beloved 1980 grey Lada. Dirt and dust enveloped the car, the air, and us, but it didn’t matter. Mama and I kept looking over our shoulders. Papa kept his eyes rigidly on the road and...

Bluette

by | Jan 14, 2026

Photo Credit: National Galleries of Scotland “You will live forever,” he said. “People from far and wide will know your name, Bluette.” What do I care if strangers know my name? Mama and Papa wanted him to paint Rosette, but for some reason he chose me. I don’t know...

The Anteroom

by | Jan 13, 2026

In the anteroom people wait their turn. Standing in line, pressing into one another, they wait to enter the smaller room. Mindlessly, they stare at a dilapidated broken clock whose second arm stubbornly tries to move but is ceaselessly returned to its original...