Prized Myths and Fairy Tales of the MockingOwl Roost
Welcome to the first prize winners issue of the MockingOwl Roost – the Prized Myths and Fairy Tales of the MockingOwl Roost. This beautiful collection of fairy tale and mythology-based flash fiction, micro-essays, and haiku/tanka sequence pieces come from authors around the world.
Borderline (Shepley Woods)
In the woods we are borders of our own creation, a witness to a different scene translations from black to white…
Loyalty
Sometimes he shows me off, making friends for us wherever we go. When I have to be without him, he will look at me, as if asking: “Must you really?”
Dear Sarah
The path may not be the one you envisioned, But that doesn’t mean it’s devoid of purpose. Motherhood is a school in itself, A crash course in fierce love and unwavering devotion.
Pins and Needles
As I pulled out the GPS, memories surfaced of Nat navigating the streets of New York decades earlier. Navigating the streets of every country we’d travelled in. He always used to say he carried maps in his head and if he needed to find the right direction, he simply lifted his mind above the car, looked down on the streets and visualised the right route.
Quarterly & Special Issues
Submissions next open from June 1 to August 31 2024
May 22, 2024
“I’m sorry. I’ve almost got it licked though. I’m never touching another drop. Going on the wagon. I’m quitting. That was it last night, I promise. I’m done,” he said.
May 20, 2024
We cover the globe with hands outstretched,
palms naked and dirty from ash
lying on our backs, looking at the sky as the spark of life leaps from our eyes.
May 17, 2024
Mouth opened for the sky;
that’s the you who’s new, who I keep in mind.
Waves of our mothers and fathers flow by,
grazing our toes in this sand of wartime.
May 15, 2024
Breathe in the beauty of a lone "Siberian Elm," commiserate with "Driving Alone," or laugh a little with a "Plastered Leg and a Cat."
May 14, 2024
The tides have plundered the shoreline, leaving a reek of decay and iodine leaving a reek of decay and iodine and even the high art of a cerulean sky appears to be something strangely buoyant,
May 12, 2024
I thought about all I had gone through to reach this point: all the planning, lying, deceptions, and even the murder. With a widening smile, I concluded that I felt happier than I had for years.
May 10, 2024
As we walked among the pods, I stressed the level of demand and the need for absolute secrecy to protect the privacy of the famous clientele. She seemed satisfied, and we returned to my ‘consulting room’ to finalise the terms.
May 6, 2024
Timelines establish the sequence or schedule for your story. Everything on them should be necessary to the world or your characters and must be done in a precise order so that what you create makes sense in story form.
May 4, 2024
The case proved difficult for Poston due to the complete lack of cooperation from his client. People’s minds and hearts had to be changed if he was to win this trial, starting with that of his client.
May 2, 2024
Bury me in a Shallow Grave Where I can Feel Above as Below, Where Sun Rays and Rains may Embrace me still…
April 27, 2024
Okay, Doña Rosita thought. We used to do that in India, too. Spells, bindings, amulets. Eggs circled and cracked around heads, on front steps. Coconuts smashed before front doors. l've done them all. Sandalwood sticks for Kali, coconuts for Avan, smudge for the Great Spirit. So, might as well…
April 25, 2024
Sure, they were real pros compared to Rex, but all they did was cover songs. Rex, though he could only strum a few chords, was a dreamer. The chords and melody came to him one night sitting alone in his apartment after a couple hits on a bong.
April 23, 2024
April 22, 2024
The characters are powerful motivators to the spirit of individuality in a place where individuality is not the norm. I felt a close kinship to Nubbin.
April 21, 2024
Beitzah: check (the smell of the hard-boiled egg made her gag). Zero’ah: check. Charoset: check (and of course she scooped up some with her finger and licked it clean). In the centre hollow – maror and dates. I hope Irit and Mirele break a tooth on the seed. Expensive dentistry!
April 18, 2024
Welcome to our first full cast, feature-length audio drama! The true story of Jerrie Mock, the first woman to fly around the world.
Listen along as the full cast tells the story of Jerrie's great adventure around the world in 1964, claiming the title officially on April 17, after 29.5 days.
April 15, 2024
Welcome to the new season of the MockingOwl Roost's themed issues. We're launching the year with an uplifting issue themed on joy. Read along for joy in unusual and unexpected moments, every day life, and much more in the beautiful short stories, creative nonfiction, poetry, artwork, and more.
April 12, 2024
Being underage and low on cigarettes I picked up the butts with unsmoked tobacco portions from the ashtrays of local restaurants
April 8, 2024
When she said that, I noticed that the baby's head was falling downward. I thought this strange because I have always heard that new mothers ooze with motherhood and instinct. But in this case, it seemed like she had no concern for the baby. Ignoring the other red flags, my brain compensated with the thought: Maybe she is exhausted?
April 6, 2024
Paulie and Will were friends because they were almost the same age and lived next door to each other but Will spent more time with his brothers, John and Stevie, than the neighbors. Will and Paulie kind of looked alike, though, and when they walked around town people thought they were brothers, or “Irish twins,” as Mr. Carey at Carey’s market said.