The phantom weight of the ring was the hardest part. Yuki would rub the pale, naked band of skin on her left finger until she made herself red and raw, a habit she couldn’t break. Ken had been gentle when… Continue Reading
En route to Menlo Park, New JerseyApril 1915 Do you read by electric light? Oh, I’m sure for years, squinting at your copy of Great Expectations by the spark of a candle on your Davenport, was a familiar experience. But… Continue Reading
Lakeside Elementary is on the edge of our neighborhood, right by the Piggly Wiggly. It isn’t anywhere near a lake, thankfully. There is only one natural lake in Texas. Halfway in Texas, really, and honestly, it’s only still there because… Continue Reading
I’ve been acting for so long that sometimes I forget where the act ends and I begin. I learned early how to look like the man people wanted: the right tone, the right posture, the right kind of silence. No… Continue Reading
As I struggled to repair my son’s bicycle, I thought of my dad. Years ago, he built me an entire bike from parts, assembling each piece while drinking a beer or two in the garage. One night, I brought out… Continue Reading
There it was, in the parish newsletter, under Furniture for Sale: “20 inch cream-colour bathroom cabinet, rose-shape handles.” With any luck, a replica of the one Charlene had broken last week. She had searched online, flagged up a couple of… Continue Reading
On the day in question, I’m perusing the grapefruits at my supermarket. I make sure I pick only a grapefruit clearly stickered “Star Ruby.” Meaning it’s not a pink grapefruit. Meaning it’s not an apricot. Meaning it’s not a bran… Continue Reading
My friend Julio wears many faces. He can be elusive, and sometimes disappears for months at a time. But I always find him in the end. We first met while working at a slowly failing startup. I was drawn to… Continue Reading
Planning his next escape from Springbrook Retirement Home, George wakes early, just as the first-shift staff start their rounds, so it isn’t surprising he is the only resident to observe Fred leave, zipped into a body bag, covered with a… Continue Reading
It started with a whisper in the rear-view mirror. Not the kind you hear, exactly — more the kind that curls under your skin and waits. Dean adjusted the mirror. Empty backseat. Just trees blurring past. Just the heat. He… Continue Reading