John J. Vinacci

As I lay at the foot of the warm, cozy bed, a familiar scenario has come to a head.   “Well, look at the time. I believe that’s a five. Food in my bowl is not far behind.”   I will chew on this wire as I so often conspire, to wake daddy up – “Don’t sleep!” I interrupt.   I will paw daddy’s face ‘til his slumber’s erased. I’ll meow ‘til he gives in, because I’m a prick.   “Fill ‘er up,” I demand, my bowl to its brim. “I am so hungry and this cat waits for no man.”   “Rise, rise!” Our fates are entwined. The clock has struck five, eating is my life.   Ah, daddy stirs and looks at the wall. “It’s two in the morning, you little bastard,” he retorts.   “A two or a five. So I’m not good at reading signs. But since you’re awake, feed me. I’m hungry. Don’t let me die.”   “Alright,” he concedes. Alright, indeed. He’s not the dumbest of all humans, it’s the futility he sees.   “Here you go, now leave me alone,” he gi...

  Twenty-something Joe stepped out of his townhouse into the sun. Spokes of light bent their way around the few marshmallows in the sky and brushed the skin of his face. A faint breeze kissed his lips. A few townhouses down, a car alarm bleated. This was as typical a city morning as one gets; in the city, there’s always a car alarm going off.    Joe and his neatly trimmed beard slipped under the cover of his knit beanie. It was still Spring after all and the sun wasn’t getting up so early that he was awake ahead of his morning coffee. Truth be told, Joe was never awake ahead of his morning coffee, which is why he was outside this morning to begin with. The young man’s day never really started until that bitter black elixir slid down his throat. What is consciousness? Coffee, if you ask Joe.   The millennial took a step off his porch and stumbled as if he’d missed the step entirely. He grabbed the porch railing before slipping down the stairs entirely. Was it ...

Baldwin could not help but drag the tip of the broadsword through the dank cavern and over dunes of gold. The sword had belonged to his father and his father before that; it was a family heirloom he hoped to become worthy of. It was almost as big as Baldwin, though, and weighty. A weapon worthy of a king, it had certainly seen more bloodshed than the fledgling knight. Today, this boy on the verge of manhood – this boy just more than half his father’s stature – hoped his heart could help bear the load. For today he was going to slay Black Veritas, the dragon that once every hundred years laid waste to the kingdom. Today his victory over the beast would come before its latest awakening, thereby winning the heart of the princess, Princess Ardel.   Upon summiting the largest mound of gold coins yet, Baldwin held a hand out to stem the glare of treasure as a single ray of light from above bounced around infinitely. He stood in awe of the wealth strewn across the hundred meter cavern...