De Stijl by Sarah Vernetti

Claire stands and struggles to find her balance. The walls, the floor, the ceiling converge as a single plane, the seams between them impossible to distinguish. She begins to move forward, swaying, her arms extending out as if she’s groping in the dark. Soon, a black bar appears in front of her. She steps over it and enters a field of cardinal red. Then comes bright cobalt blue. Finally, Claire reaches the end, a solid yet translucent sheath through which she cannot penetrate. Beyond it, a parquet universe holds other worlds like her own.

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about the author:

Sarah Vernetti lives in Las Vegas. Her stories have appeared in 300 Days of Sun, Boston Literary Magazine, Eunoia Review, Foliate Oak, a previous issue of Vending Machine Press, and elsewhere.