“This Corpse” by Ron Riekki

Matt sneezed all over the pig fetus and then wiped his nose with his glove covered with formaldehyde and who knows what viruses.

“For the Birds” by Bruce Harris

The bell above the door jingled. Clark Tennyson looked up and smiled. “Hello Mrs. Hanniford, good to see you again. What’ll it be today?” he asked.

“The New Competitor” by Jim Herod

Jay was sure that he didn’t know a single person in the bar . . .

“The Preaching Game” by Bronwyn Mauldin

I was halfway through a draft of a blistering sermon on Romans 1:18 when I was startled by a scratching at my office door. My staff and parishioners knew to leave me alone on Thursday afternoons. I looked up to see a vision in turquoise . . .

Simon’s Cat in Good Company: Elmo and Red, The Bookshop of Chapel Hill (North Carolina)

To celebrate the release of Simon’s Cat vs. the World, Akashic is featuring some of our favorite bookstore and library cats. Today, meet Elmo and Red, two cats who call The Bookshop of Chapel Hill (North Carolina) their home!

“Death at a Farmer’s Market” by Adam Rosen

“How much is this?” the middle-aged man asked, irritated. He pointed a finger at a bunch of lacinato kale—fresh in, a chalk-marked sign indicated, from a farm outside Hickory. He had been waiting at the stand for five minutes, and was not about to wait a minute longer.

“Four-fifty,” said the man behind the table. He looked too old to still be farming, and he spoke softly. It was hard to hear him over the banjo playing nearby. The upright bass didn’t make it any easier. “That’s fresh in from Hick’ry.”

“That’s what the sign says!” replied the man as he stuffed two bunches into his tote. The WNCW logo covered the canvas bag in big blue letters that nobody could miss. “I usually do rainbow chard, but it’s disgusting this week. It looks like it’s from the SuperSaver.”

“Well, we’re the freshest,” said the farmer, smiling sweetly . . .