Story Acceptance!

In May 2007, I was studying abroad at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan. Just after Golden Week, my university canceled classes for a week due to a measles outbreak. One night, around 10:30 pm, I stood on Shinagawa Station’s track 11, waiting for the Tokaido Line train to take me back to Kawasaki. In my hands was a British edition of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood. Beyond the track was a sea of darkness - the silent trainyard - that ended at a row of office buildings topped with neon.

Standing there, engrossed in Capote’s masterpiece, I shivered uncontrollably. It felt as if someone was staring at the back of my head. I turned around and looked up, only to find a long office building straddling the train station’s gates and shops. A few lights were still on, and I don’t remember if I saw anyone at the windows.

Just over a year later, I started a two-month internship with the Central Japan Railway Company at Shinagawa Station. And what did I see looking down from the sixth-floor break room? You guessed it - track 11’s platform.

I wondered - on that May night, did I feel my future self gaze upon me? Did this line of sight exist outside of normal reality? I felt unsettled for a long, long time, a feeling that became “The Sins of the.”

Today, I am happy to announce that “The Sins of the” has found a home at The Piker Press. On March 24th, I look forward to sharing this story with the world.

That said, it’s good to start 2025 with a story acceptance. :)