CRUMBS Vol.003 Winners
a drabble writing contest
It is time to announce the winners of our third CRUMBS drabble writing contest!
As a reminder, the theme for June was...
And here are the winners:
Les Brisures
- the sorting by bailey loveless
- Postcards From Your Dead Dad by Chris Clemens
- Advanced Pet Care by E. Florian Gludovacz
Bouchée du Benêt
- How to Save a Witch by Tatiana Shokhan
Miette d'Or
- Cinders by Alethea Paul
We will be publishing their stories over the first five days of August!
CRUMBS is off for August, but we will be announcing our new print anthology soon!
One to Three
Emir Brown-Murillo
We waded along Time itself, waiting a long time to make decisions already made, for hours pass circularly on this land. The breaks are quite strange, too. I count seconds—one to three for five seconds—then again and then? I open my eyes: burning! She’s still here, watching! me scream into the abyss
Emir Brown-Murillo is a poet from Harlem. They are a Frost Place 2020 Latinx Scholar and the winner of the 2017 Artistine Mann Award.
The Untied Stales
Paul Hostovsky
of America, my daughter
has written above the map
of the lower forty-eight,
transposing two letters,
forgetting to cross one t,
the map itself colored in
a little sloppily, dark crayon
spilling in from Mexico,
and bleeding into Canada,
and how perfect is that?
Paul Hostovsky’s poems appear and disappear simultaneously (ta-da!). His new collection is Perfect Disappearances (2025).
Re: your claim following the recent incident on the North Pacific transmatter network
Pauline Barmby
Dear [passenger],
We apologize for any inconvenience this incident may have caused. Your shoes will be returned from Yokohama, feet to follow separately. Digital fingerprint scans taken from your hands in Manila are enclosed (bio-materials were retained for analysis). Tracking indicates that your ears arrived in Taipei, however Taiwan quarantine regulations require destruction of all unaccompanied body parts.
Since the seismic event was outside our control, we are not required to provide compensation. However, as a goodwill gesture, we are adding 10000 points to your MyPortal account. We look forward to seeing you on a future trip.
NPTransmat Customer Service
Pauline Barmby writes speculative fiction, appreciates galaxies, and has her own asteroid (281067).
Water Ate the Walls
David Nusloch
The storm smothered the city for hours.
While her mother slurred in a bar, nine-year old Holly made dinner for her twin brothers. The toddlers were difficult to corral. When she cooked, Holly tied a cord around their waists, tethering them to a sofa leg.
Hard rain roared on the threadbare roof and muffled the civil defense siren’s whine for mercy. The boys cried. She called to them reassuringly.
The flood slammed into the house and kicked in the back door. Its force shoved her thin legs, and she lost her footing, striking her face on the sink’s edge. Blood flowed from her broken freckled nose.
She struggled toward the living room, screaming. They wailed, and the cord grew taut against their thrashes. Her slight body wobbled in the current.
A squealing rat clung to her dress and dug its nails into her thigh. She lunged for her brothers as the dark water overtook them. Small, panicked hands grabbed her arms.
She ducked under and fought the saturated knot. It held tight, a fist.
Their fingers pulled her hair while they choked on the water they inhaled.
She came up, gasped, and went under again. The water lifted the sofa, and she freed the cord from the leg.
The walls groaned. Windows burst.
David Nusloch is a writer from New Orleans, Louisiana.
early man
Stephen Ground
cavemen had it right
they never paid income tax
& transit was free
Stephen Ground is a writer and filmmaker based in Treaty Six Territory [Edmonton, Alberta, Canada].
Learn by Shovel
Sascha Reinhard
An alchemist’s apprentice learns many things. For one, guano is rich in saltpeter, a prime ingredient for purification, oxidization and combustion.
German writer Sascha Reinhard has a very literal love of the written word. He studied palaeography.
Fishbowl
Maxwell Bauman
The aquarium’s residents plan a prison break. Coy are done playing coy. Patient turtles finally snap. Even mindless jellyfish long for liberation.
Only the octopus knows the way out. She blinds the whistling guard with a blast of ink and pulls him under until the bubbles stop. The murderous mollusk secures the key ring.
She unlocks the lids for the ultimate migration. Mantas leap into the air like Frisbees. Dozens of clownfish cram into a tiny car. Otters hold hands as they cross the street.
Curators and veterinarians pursue the exodus. The octopus raises eight arms to multiply the water. The sea of reeds flows and covers them. Every one of them survive.
Maxwell Bauman is the Owner and Editor-In-Chief of Door Is A Jar Literary Magazine.