Creative Prose
A collection of all the creative prose in the fifth edition of “The Parlay” literary magazine.
All of our pieces are listed in alphabetical order of the author’s last name.
EREN BUSSARD
Authors Bio:
Eren Bussard (they/them) is a student at Arizona State University. They are in the midst of finishing their coursework to obtain a bachelor’s degree in English. Eren has a deep passion for writing and is currently working on their first novel. In their downtime, they are usually found watching anime, hanging out with their friends, or working on new stories to write. This is their third time being on the staff for The Parlay, and they look forward to working on / writing for future editions as well.
Languages
I am fluent in longing.
In the quiet, dreamy moments of dawn, when the world is still, I feel the weight of her absence.
Her memory is an echo, threading through the early light, soft as a breath. Each day without her stretches on like a canvas, blank and endless, waiting for her blush to bring it to life.
The Lamp
It was a subtle thing at first, a shift in the color of the light one evening—a warmer hue, almost amber, like honey dripping across one’s psyche. But as I sat on the couch, I realized it wasn’t only the color. The lampshade was different too; it was not the plain cream linen it had always been, but some strange fabric I couldn’t identify, its surface shimmering as if alive. My fingers itched to touch it, but I didn’t move.
Someone might have been watching me.
Places I’ve Lived Briefly
Depression called shotgun when I was fourteen years old.
It whispered in my ear, telling me it would stay for the ride.
I’ve been stitching myself together for as long as I can remember, trying to slot the pieces into place without hurting too much.
The world watches, eyes heavy with expectations, and I pretend I don’t notice the quiet tearing inside me.
Orange Juice
3 missed voicemails.
From Grayson:
July 12th, 2014 6:45 pm
‘Hey Max, are you coming to the party after you get off work? Roan said to bring orange juice if you are. Hope to see you later.’
Click.
DANIEL JAMES
Authors Bio:
Daniel James (they/them) is currently at FLC as a returning student, having earned their BA in Creative Writing and MFA in Book Art from Mills College. They are a novelist by trade, with two titles published through Tapas Entertainment: Respectfully Yours, and How (Not) to Save the Multiverse. In their spare time, they enjoy rebinding books, printmaking, and letting their cat, Chidi, boss them around.
You can find more of their work on social media:
@ dannysdaydreams (twitter/bluesky/tiktok) and
@ dannys.daydreams (instagram/threads).
The Ballad of Icarus
It is another long day in the tower overlooking the sea. Each day blends together in the walls, our impending escape feeling closer, and yet further away at the same time. Father crafts gently by the light of the sun, or the moon, stopping only when there is not enough light to see by, for we are not allowed enough candles where we are.
As the days pass, I watch the sun. I lean my head outside the window to get a glimpse of the wonder Apollo rules. I keep tallies on the walls. Notes of my captivity. Days go by.
Unsent Messages
I’ll never look at Valentine's the same way, after you. The morning is crisp and bright, the air filled with possibility. It is 2022, the year that is meant to be mine—meant to be ours. You aren’t here with me, but we are supposed to see each other later in the week. You want me to have time with my partner, given the day. I don’t think anything of it. It’s only Monday.
I’ve always had you, and I always will.
ERIC RICKEY
Authors Bio:
Eric Rickey is an English major currently enrolled at Folsom Lake College. He has a passion for writing and often will find himself daydreaming about characters and stories he hasn’t even written yet. When he’s not writing you can often find him playing with his nieces and nephews, watching anime, or preparing for the next adventure for his DND campaign. He has had a blast working on this issue of “The Parlay” and looks forward to working on future editions.
Happenstance
I could hear her cries from the back of my truck, “God why did this happen to me.” This gave me pause, why did it happen to her? I didn’t have a vendetta to fulfill, she didn’t remind me of someone who hurt me. She was there, and there wasn’t anything she could have done to save her. It really didn’t matter. It didn’t matter what she wore, or how she did her hair. The only choice that held any weight was that she chose to be at McKenzie Park, at 10:38 in the morning.
She’s in my trunk now, like many before, cursed by their choice to be in the same place as me. She’s quiet now, I wonder if she's accepted her situation. It always makes it easier that way. Less mess. As we approach my home I ponder my choices. My choices always hold more weight than theirs. My choice to take them, my choice to leave them conscious. My choice to give them time. Time to accept that this isn't their fault.
So I’ll leave her in my basement. I hope she sleeps well. I know it's hard to sleep in a new place. But if she can’t, She can always count her blessings. She only has a few left.
MORGANE SIMKOWSKI
Authors Bio:
Morgane Simkowski is an alum of Arizona State University and Folsom Lake College who enjoys writing about all things tragic and morbid. She takes great joy in the act of writing as much as she does in reading, and in the in-between, trying to catch up on sleep.
Lament of Narcissus
She is more than alien to me.
The woman sitting in front of me looks all wrong — a grotesque imitation of the human form. She raises a hand to her face and pulls at the skin gently, revealing the red of the eyelid underneath. She pokes and prods at her edges and watches as the flesh beneath responds, collapsing and returning to rest. She runs her hands through her hair and they become claws, digging into the scalp that is hidden amongst strands dark and damp.
MARWICK WILLIAMS
Authors Bio:
Marwick Williams is a computer science student at FLC with a keen interest in speculative fiction. Although primarily a reader of fantasy, his pieces tend to take on aspects of Science Fiction, most especially pronounced in his upcoming debut novel The City, which focuses on the aftermath of the invention of brain-computer interface technology.
Piece Background:
Don’t Look Back
“Are you there, my muse?”
“Of course, Orpheus.”
“I am glad to hear your voice again. The smoke has not made it any less beautiful than I remember.”
“Oh Orpheus, you will always remember my voice better than last you heard it. One of the great injustices of memory.”
“...”
“...”
“It’s cold down here. I expected something else.”
“As did I. I fear that the chill has seeped into my bones.”
"Don't Look Back," was written almost entirely during a single session of FLC's Creative Writing Club. The meeting's focus was on dialogue, and a challenge was to write a piece using only dialogue; it seemed fitting to do a piece about not looking at your beloved through the medium of dialogue alone, as Orpheus would have done in that trek out from Hades. The piece is also meant to center around the problems faced by not trusting your loved ones, using the well-known story of Orpheus and Eurydice to highlight what sort of paranoia could lead to that tragedy.