Queen Elizabeth as Fungus by Gregory Ariail
Queen Elizabeth still exists in the Appalachian Mountains. Old man Volney took me down to Devil’s Elbow where a cascade froths against a corner of the mountain. The river there is rapid, deep, and dangerous even for trout. “We gotta … Continue reading
Spoon by Brittany Pladek
I was the second object the princess touched when she gained the gift to enliven dead things, but she did not notice me between the clacking puppet and miaowing harpsichord. So I was left for the cook to clear as … Continue reading
My Grandmother, The Swan by Vanessa Wang
My mother and my grandmother have always lived together, from the time my mother was a suckling baby till now, sixty years later. Out of a need to support one another, these two women have always lived together. But to … Continue reading
Foment by Susannah Russell
The blow came unseen, an invisible fist shattering my jaw. I spat my teeth into the dusk. It swallowed those hot white fragments; then it retched, pelting the earth like a priestess casting bones. I sifted them from the dust … Continue reading
Juvenescence by Jennifer Lynn Krohn
My mother finds me still in bed, curled into a ball. She strokes my hair and says, “Soon, you’ll be a grown up.” I only groan. “It’s not so bad,” she says. Since my mother does not recognize her own … Continue reading
Three Teens Kill Time in a Miami Parking Lot in July by JD Scott
The Golden Key Flash Fiction Open 2017 Honorable Mention, judged by Carmen Maria Machado Marié, her back against the Honda’s passenger door. Marie, her front against Marié’s front. Marie pushes and Marié lets herself be pushed, the … Continue reading
In the Belly of the Bear by A.A. Balaskovits
The Golden Key Flash Fiction Open 2017 Honorable Mention, judged by Carmen Maria Machado She was indigestible – this, a gift from her godmother, the one with whose lips danced around wine cups. The blessing was blurted out because she … Continue reading
Issue 8: Revolutionary Things – Editors’ Note
What is a revolutionary thing? Revolution often connotes the radical overthrow of an existing paradigm, usually a political regime. While some revolutionaries fight with weapons, others fight with ideas, or hexes, or stories. For many of us, our revolutionary acts … Continue reading
Issue 8: Revolutionary Things–Call for Submissions
The past year has thrown into sharp relief the surreal terrain of our contemporary landscape, and here at The Golden Key, we have watched this rising social and political upheaval with a contradictory, heart-rending mixture of despair and awe. While the … Continue reading