My First Shot, by Steven Sanders; eScene, 1996. The narrator juxtaposes three key events in his life: his first kill as a hunter, a heifer's death during the delivery of a calf, and his response to his wife's terminal illness. My First Shot is unpretentious and, despite a structure that necessitates multiple flashbacks, easy to follow. * * *

Selections from the New World, by Marcus Eubanks; InterText, May-June 96. Eubanks, a physician, draws on his medical expertise to speculate on the potentially apocalyptic consequences of the overuse of antibiotics. The narrator, an M.D., loses three friends/colleagues to infection (directly or indirectly) and, when he accidentally cuts his hand, feels that he too is doomed. * * *

Spots, by Frederick Barthelme; eScene, 1996. A young man's new girlfriend, while angry at him for "playing around" with his brother's wife, accidentally cuts his face. Her bizarre reaction and a power outage prompt him to reconsider his feelings for her--and for his brother's wife. Spots is clearly written, for the most part, but the meaning of the title eludes me. * * *

A Brief Stay, by James Katowich; eScene, 1996. A tough-guy father is rendered nearly helpless by a gunshot wound, and his less-masculine son quits college to care for him. Can they bridge the psychological gulf that separates them? Katowich's prose seems immature and slightly awkward. * *

Doomsnight Scenarios, by Garrett Mok; 12 Gauge Review, vol. 1 iss. 2. This clearly written lament offers a grim view of America in the '90s. There's not much of a plot, but I was curious enough about the characters--aimless, utterly alienated Generation Xers--to keep reading. * *

Salvation, by Carol Mangis; 12 Gauge Review, vol. 1 iss. 2. A short, well-written piece that serves as a pro-choice apologetic and, by extension, as a condemnation of all dogmatic behavior. The victim of a shooting at an abortion clinic dwells on her inescapable feelings of horror, shame, and guilt. * *

Booting the Mushroom Habit, by Ian Firla; Here Lies, iss. 1. A chance encounter with a young woman who is trying to remove a wad of gum from the sole of her boot prompts a young man to ruminate on the nature of dreams and schemes. This piece is not expertly written, but I found the last few paragraphs intriguingly poetic. * *

Invertebrate, by Josh Bingham; House-O-Links. A crude, adolescent horror story that is redeemed only by its last line--the payoff is surprisingly clever. *

© 1996 David D. Hursh