transgressive fiction needs to make a comeback by Bogdan Dragos

he used to write those very intense works about human suffering and degeneracy and the corruption of good souls into evil criminals – Breaking Bad style He hated supranatural stuff in writing. Stayed away from it. “It’s just stupid,” he said. “There’s more than enough magic, both dark and light, into the human heart to…

to feel romantic about the writer’s block

By Bogdan Dragos 48 days without a word written maybe there weren’t exactly 48 but he liked to feel romantic about his writer’s block A good period of writer’s block is one that makes you write about what an incapable writer you are perhaps tomorrow, he thought as he came out of the bathroom and…

night shifts at the gas station by Bogdan Dragos

oh, how silly were all those idiots who entered the gas station and approached her cash register complaining about the rain outside ‘Just because you think that the rain sucks doesn’t make it a universal truth, asshole,’ she would’ve told the last one if she could But as it was she just nodded and forced…

Ouija board by Bogdan Dragos

Well, when you’re desperate you’re… “Me,” he said He was alone in the room and lonely enough to have bought one of those Ouija boards from some old woman who called herself a medium It was time to try it out All he hoped for was a sexy ghost that would haunt him, maybe hurt…

cat shaking the paw by Bogdan Dragos

She could say it if she wanted to but the words would carry no weight behind them like a cat shaking the paw with you and not understanding the real meaning behind the gesture so was her every “I love you.” Enough to make an old boy cry but he preferred suicide Needless to say…

mother forbade feeding the poor thing

By Bogdan Dragos there was a dog outside and it kept barking for some reason Ah yes, it was chained and the chain was terribly short and the poor animal was hungry Mother wouldn’t bother feeding it No, mother wanted it to die because it had been father’s dog, inherited along with the house after…

no country for romantic men by Bogdan Dragos

and the few survivors who couldn’t fight were lined up along with the civilians and shot or killed in ways to entertain the soldiers And dogs were trained to tear them to shreds and the ground became black with their soaked blood and over the next few days a carpet of butterflies gathered on top…

songless bird By Bogdan Dragos

a songless bird that would be the nicest name she’d been called the others, far more common, being that little wench your bastard kid the little rat useless piece of shit that came outta you and others She liked the term songless bird It was a title worthy of her in all the good and…

our very own patron saint By Bogdan Dragos

he was a doctorGoddammit, they were looking ata doctorHe came into the casino in a suit,the same suit every day and nightdark grayshiny with grease around theelbows and lower backsmellypatched up in placeshe kinda forgot what it was like to besoberand lately he kinda forgot whatit was like to win at the slot machineshe forgot…

sometimes you don’t have to lead the insane to happiness, but to follow

By Bogdan Dragos he would start whistling Very random and very loud even at night in bed and stopping him was very much a gamble The caterpillar-like stitches on his wife’s arm were a testimony to that He’s never been the same since his head injury Poor fellow just had the terrible, terrible luck to…

dirty eyes By Bogdan Dragos

the woman with the dirty eyes, they called her as she always beheld people like they were but dust in her eyes Her face would make that expression of pure disgust one feels while passing a homeless drunk in the streets. Fallen and stained with piss and feces and blood People weren’t worthy to be…

The Watcher by Bogdan Dragos

the bartender was displeased with him and the patrons didn’t like him much either He was the sickly, slender man who came at opening time and sat at the table by the window, watching the people outside he sat there until closing time problem was, he occupied that seat for so many hours in a…

a fine day to meet a genius by Bogdan Dragos

I saw him busy and focused beyond focus over a yellow legal pad that he held in his lap He squeezed the pen like struggling to strangle a snake and his tongue was poked and clasped tight in a corner of his small mouth for maximum concentration «Damn kid,» I told him. «Now that’s a…

giving the supreme gift by Bogdan Dragos

there was no gentleness in mother’s touch as she seized him by the shoulder and stood him down «Never disturb your grandfather again,» she told him Never disturb a man who is thinking about death He had learned the lesson so well that he started the practice himself And he wasn’t even old Death was…

Bleed ’em to death by Bogdan Dragos

«Eh, sorry, sorry,» she would say but the wound would be already open She would close her eyes squint them poke her tongue out and shake her head «Sorry.» She liked to bite couldn’t help it «You’re gonna kill somebody one day. Bleed ‘em to death or something.» «Sorry, sorry.» but some people some girls…

she gives love, kindness, warmth, acceptance. And never judges

By Bogdan Dragos the woman smiled at him and showed her legs from beneath a white coat She was close to his face Stretched on the label of the rubbing alcohol bottle 70% alcohol He liked this woman because her smile never faded and she was always inviting «Oh, if you insist,» he said and…

a very skilled assassin by Bogdan Dragos

The way she’d creep up on you and just appear from behind like some cat, you’d think she was some trained assassin or something I felt her punch my shoulder and then her other hand falling on my nape and squeezing «Hey, lucky boy. You should be so damn glad you ran into me.» In…

lovely hands by Bogdan Dragos

there’s been a collection of rather dark thoughts lately and he was studying it from the comfort of his bed The other day he found a good pillow in the dumpster and used it to cover the spot on the mattress where the rusty springs emerged Now the bed was fine again good enough for…

nothing good on TV for 18 years By Bogdan Dragos

there’s nothing good on TV when you’re in a crap mood «Shit,» he thought. «Nothing’s gonna be good on TV for the next 18 years. At least.» he sighed and shifted his position on the couch four days till New Year’s Eve and he already got the greatest gift one could wish for. A positive…

a self-published book on how to quit smoking By Bogdan Dragos

That did it He was tired of coming home from work and finding a fucking book on the table instead of food but the book was also on his pillow when he went to bed on the toilet tank in the garage in the shed behind the house and on the dashboard of his goddamn…