Aphelion Issue 301, Volume 28
December 2024 / January 2025
 
Editorial    
Long Fiction and Serials
Short Stories
Flash Fiction
Poetry
Features
Series
Archives
Submission Guidelines
Contact Us
Forum
Flash Writing Challenge
Forum
Dan's Promo Page
   

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Issue 257 Volume 24 December 2020 - January 2021

Cover

Archives Editorial Serials and Long Fiction Poetry and Filk Music Short Stories Flash Fiction Features Series

Editorial

Dan L. Hollifield

The Senior Editor's usual rants about whatever…


Serials and Long Fiction

Pockets of the Janostovore
Rab Foster
One man suffers a reversal of fortune, another enjoys the same—both facilitatedan enchanted jacket.

Granite Statues and Marble Things
Ethan D. Perritt
Was it real? Brandon would never know …

Best Long Fiction of 2020

Selected by Long Fiction Editor Lester Curtis

The Monster of Triton Bay
Mark Searle
How does one handle a real-life encounter with a mythical being? Christian just treated her as he would any other person.

Please Come Tomorrow
Yuliia Vereta
If only he'd followed the label warnings …

Pockets of the Janostovore
Rab Foster
One man suffers a reversal of fortune, another enjoys the same—both facilitatedan enchanted jacket.

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Short Stories

Horror at Willow Lake
Isaac Lowry
Come on, David, you've gotta be better than this.

Late Bloomer
M. J. Guillotte
They all hoped for new soil in the end.

Peach Clobber
William Joseph Roberts
How far can VR go? How far SHOULD it go?

Static
Carl Walmsley
Look after them – but let them grow up. At some point, that will mean letting them grow beyond you.

The Black Melody Journal
Travis Walsh
A secret between her and the hundreds of silver silhouettes staring at her from the field behind the old, perfect house.

The Line Of The Reality
Sergio “ente per ente” Palumbo
Edited by Michele Dutcher
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy… "

The Man in the Water
R. L. Barrett
It's always wise to check the previous owners of a property...

The Wizard and Sorceress of Crater Lake
Bruce Rowe
The true origin story of Crater Lake.

Best Short Fiction of 2020


The Beyond Is The Beginning
J. B. Toner
I was Archon, steward of the Maker. I was Death, the shatterer of worlds. I was Man, the mediator. I was something new.

Aidan in St. Stephen's Green
T. J. Matthews
Discipline. Discipline and control. Along straight lines. Not squiggly. Not curvy. Too many curvy lines, these days.

The Sum of His Parts
Jeff Parsons
Spider (or, excuse me, Aubrey) makes first contact.

The Roosterfish Pie of Ovas-9
Arto Koistinen
The place was a right backwater. It was also the only planet in the galaxy where you could still find true roosterfish.

On Paper, Rock and Water
Margaret Karmazin
Was it simply enough to produce art if no other sentient creature other than himself laid eyes upon it?

Caveman
T. Richard Williams
Being a cyborg isn't all arm cannons and laser vision, you know.

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Flash Fiction

A Tale
Christopher T. Dabrowski

An Annoying Job
Christopher T. Dabrowski

A Disgraceful Disgrace
Christopher T. Dabrowski

End Times
by David Barber

The Disposary
Michael Dority

Best Flash Fiction of 2020

The term Best is a subjective one. These are the tales that the Editor liked best from the short short fiction submitted this year. Your mileage may differ. Product may settle during shipping. Void where prohibited by law.

Erythrophobia
Christopher T. Dabrowski

Incorrect
Baishampayan Seal

Dragons Guard The Moon
Theresa C. Gaynord

The Nude
Nikhil Kshirsagar

The Scarlet Character
Richard Tornello

Spring-Child
Nicole Walsh

The Aphelion Flash Fiction Contest

We run a monthly flash fiction contest in the "Fun and Games" folder in Aphelion's forum. In the contest we post a challenge with a specific theme and genre and participants write a flash story based on the challenge guidelines. The contest is a great place to hone your writing skills, meet some fellow writers, receive some feedback, and possibly win a prize. New participants are always welcome. Submissions for the contest are done through the forum. Flash stories from all of our previous contest challenges are archived in the forum as well.

Over 500 stories are included in our archive. To start reading some of these great flash stories, check out either Index 1 or Index 2.

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Poetry and Filk Music

The Reflective Forest
Theresa C. Gaynord

The Romance of Mercury
Meg Smith

Terrestrial Extinctions 101
S. T. Eleu

I Am One
Jean Jones

How Saint Anthony Helped Me Find My Soul Once Again
Theresa C. Gaynord

Universal Collision And Repair
Richard Tornello

Best Poetry of 2020

As we go to warp and leave this exceedingly weird year behind us, Ye Editor would like to remind you that the term best is subjective at best. These are the poems that Ye Editor liked best from the submissions this year. Your mileage may differ. Product may settle during shipping. Void where prohibited by law.

Angels of Light
Lefcothea-Maria Golgaki

Annabelle
Fadrian Bartley

Birthday
Robert Treybur

Brain-Sturm
Gary W. Davis

Cat People
Theresa C. Gaynord

The Day Arrives
Jean Jones

Devil's Bones
Alexis Child

Eternal Reunion
Niloufar Behrooz

Icebreaker #22
S. T. Eleu

Last Bulb in the Box
S. T. Eleu

The Lunar Bridge
Meg Smith

A Metaphysical/Theological Trilogy
Richard Tornello

Thirst
Jean Jones

‘Til Hell Freezes Over
ayaz daryl nielsen

US
ayaz daryl nielsen

Time Is Not Amenable
Theresa C. Gaynord

A Walk With Dante
Jean Jones

Wave of Darkening
Meg Smith

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Articles and features

Alas, there were no feature articles this month.