Today’s my birthday. That’s not generally something I bring up. I don’t celebrate it. Almost no one knows when it is, and I like it that way. I don’t like being put on the spot. I don’t like the falseness of people wishing me a happy...
I was supposed to be at my friend’s wedding this weekend. And the thing is, maybe I was there? Only I’m pretty sure it was canceled. I went to the bride’s funeral. But—let me back up. I knew both Aldin and Petra from college. They met...
I thought it was just like any other construction zone. It looked the same: same cones, same signs, same trucks. And honestly, if people would learn how to drive, I probably never would have noticed any differently. But people get stupid in the face of...
Obadiah had forty different words for fog. From his fishing shack on the waterfront, he watched various fogs come and go, ebbing and flowing around the town. He needed every one of the words to describe the varied types that ran their blurry touch over...
Rosa lived alone. Rosa had always lived alone. Rosa had become late middle-aged; she never had a cat, though by looking at her, one would think that she had many cats. She loved plants and gardening. Rosa was not only an outside gardener; she prided...
My brother Vincent died during Covid. He had choked in his bed, needing a ventilator we couldn’t afford, and I didn’t even know it until it was too late… He died on the top bunk, alone and struggling to breathe while I was out trying to find...
This happened about six years ago, when I was spending some time in the big house for a few misdemeanors. In a way, this pushed me to get on the straight and narrow. I’ve never really given myself permission to talk about it, but my therapist says...
I had just sat down for my ride home on the late charter bus when I felt something odd under my seat. It was like sitting on a lump; it wasn’t too big, but it was definitely uncomfortable. Instinctively I reached under to try and remove...
This isn’t really happening. This feels like some fucking Twilight Zone shit. I think the plane I’m on is going to crash. Maybe it should, though. Maybe it would be better if we all died rather than let whatever the hell is aboard spread elsewhere. Sorry. Let me explain. ...
I am a creature of habit. I routinely do the same thing every day, and if there’s a break in my routine, I’m very sensitive to panic. For example, if I am not having my dinner at 6:30 pm on the dot, I’m overcome with...
The procession of soldiers marched with the steady, even rhythm of blood pumping through an artery. Grim-faced and sure-footed, they were fueled by anticipation of the reward that awaited them: fresh territory laden with resources. But they felt little in the way of excitement. This...
Saturday night. It seemed to take forever to come around. I can hardly bear it, my head buzzing like a kid on Christmas Eve, goosebumps dancing across my leathery skin. “Usual time, pet?” “Please, dear. And don’t forget to feed Alfred.” “Never do, dear. Never do.” Now off you...
My name is David. For as long as I can remember, I couldn’t think of anything to be more ashamed of than my dad. I was a preacher’s son, you see, and my dad always made sure to make me feel awful about something in my...
When the pandemic hit, I was sure that I would be out on the street before the end of the first month. I work in a high-profile business, but most of us aren’t in a position to get unemployment. The contracts they make us sign...
“It’s 11:05 and you’re listening to WSAH 101.1 FM, Whittenberg’s classic rock for the discerning listener. And since it’s after 11, the powers that be say, we’re allowed to take requests. Soooo, if you’re so inclined give me a call at 221-867-9724…” * * * *...
People think true crime writing is a glamorous job. And it is when it isn’t swallowing you wholly into its dark heart. There’s an old true crime cliché – “the husband did it!” You know, ninety-nine times out of a hundred, the husband did do it....
I could almost smell trouble coming. They knocked and I went to the large front window in the living room to see who it was. I must have looked like the least possible threat ever with my little five-year-old feet in bunny rabbit slippers with whiskers...
“God is in me or else is not at all.” --Wallace Stevens “Not at all,” I said, “I don’t mind doing this. In fact, I like it.” The doctor left the room. Tiny dots. A Sunday afternoon in some nameless place. Making tiny dots. You’d think X marks the spot,...
For the fourth building of Florida’s Leesburg Super-Geriatric Regional Medical Center, you have to go through a series of doors that require a badge, computerized vein recognition, and facial recognition from the security guard. An overhanging sign greets you with the words Cogito ergo sum. ...
I sat watching the girls walk by. This was my second week in Shanghai, my first time in Asia. The girls looked like they were heading to funerals. Their expressions, their clothing, their entire demeanor screamed death to me. I had come from Montréal where...
