Kristen M. Ploetz

Kristen M. Ploetz (@KristenPloetz) lives in Massachusetts. Her recent short fiction has been published by Pithead Chapel, The Normal School, Joyland, Atticus Review, Wigleaf, CRAFT, and elsewhere. Her work has been selected for inclusion in the 2020 Wigleaf Top 50, 2020 Best Small Fictions, and 2019 Best Microfiction anthologies. You can find her at www.kristenploetz.com.

HALF-SISTERS by Kristen M. Ploetz

red + blue Her birthstone is amethyst and she has his blue eyes. At the fair, he buys her a purple balloon; when it slips from her grip, he buys her another and ties it to her wrist, winks as he promises, this one will always stay. When he reads to her at night he points to the lupine in Miss Rumphius and tells her about the importance of family. On sunny days he holds her hand as they meander through rocky tide pools where they look for the purple arms of sea stars under shimmering water. She steps barefoot…

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BONE RATE by Kristen M. Ploetz

The marble lobby smells like old paper and spiders have taken residence in the dark corners of the tooth dentil trim. From behind a framed pane of cheap glass, ten wanted men stare at Naenie. Eight of them are smiling. She glances long enough to know some are dangerous, but all of them are broken. Of the three windows, the middle is open for business. As Naenie waits her turn, she watches the woman in a red coat. With a gloved hand, the woman slides a small white box toward the clerk and drops three coins into his palm. Naenie…

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