Yusef tipped the bowl, draining his soup. The familiar sand ground against his molars, a hazard of eating outside the Kitchen of Mercy. He had to hurry, though – there was rumor of day labor outside Raqqa.

Pocketing the bread for his mother, Yusef faded into the frenzy of street vendors.

K. L. Mill’s midwest roots are so strong, she lives in the house she grew up in, designed by her father. Most recently her work has been published by Black Hare Press, Hungry Shadow Press, and Atomic Carnival.