by Michelle Ross

Woods in early morning. No sunrise—only a slow bleaching. Ghostly glow of X-rayed bones. The wind coughs. Trees rattle and hiss. Something stirring in the leaves. Something scurrying along branches. I part vines that rake my skin. Drag boots heavy with mud. Swat creatures that slurp and sting. Even worn paths are overgrown. I stumble into holes that spit me places I’ve already been. Breathe in air I have already exhaled.

But here and there, sunlight claws through. And then I feel a sickening dread. I fear so much, including that I may have invented everything that came before.

Michelle Ross is the author of four story collections, the latest of which is Don’t Take This the Wrong Way, a collaboration with Kim Magowan that was released from EastOver Press in 2025. Her work is included in Best Small Fictions, Best Microfiction, and the Norton anthology Flash Fiction America. It was spotlighted in Best Small Fictions and received special mention in the Pushcart Prize anthology. She is an editor at 100 Word Story.