I’m thrilled to announce the publication of my latest short story! “Chutes, Slides, and Ladders” came out on June 30 in Issue #28 of Fusion Fragment. You can download it for free here!
The stunning cover art by Carly A-F was based on my piece. Seeing how Carly transformed my words into visual form has been another joy on top of publication.
In “Chutes, Slides, and Ladders,” Truss thrives in a gorgeous, chaotic world she loves—until Strut starts gathering all the kids up into an army to do his bidding, and Truss is next on his recruitment list. He has shadowy plans for her that put all the kids, and the world itself, at risk.
I’m up in my nest when they come, Strut and all his kids. Bad luck. I’m out scouting so much, days in a row sometimes, they should have missed me. I guess bad luck comes for everyone eventually, and I’m looking down from my nest at mine.
I conceived this story imagining an entire world built out of nothing but chutes, slides, and ladders. The ultimate McDonald’s PlayPlace, an infinite playground populated only by children—which inevitably becomes a Lord-of-the-Flies-adjacent situation. A friend has also said it reminded them of watching videos of professional tag players, and that is definitely the energy.
This story was an absolute blast to write, and I hope just as fun to read! Honestly, the entire issue is top to bottom brilliant writing. I’m stunned to find myself in such amazing company. Grab a free copy of the issue here!
Allison Wall 