They were seventeen, sunburned and tipsy on lukewarm cider, sprawled in long grass above Selsley Common. Below them, rooftops caught the last gold light. It smelled of warm earth and crushed cow parsley. Lina flicked a stolen lighter under a… 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
Jennifer sits at the kitchen table, the sun hitting her dark brown hair and highlighting the pretty red undertones. Her face is drawn and pale and she stares down at the table as though her life is over. I want… Continue Reading
The first time Oscar slipped through the half-open window of Mrs. Trudell’s apartment, she almost dropped her knitting needles. The black cat stared at her with golden eyes, tail swishing like a metronome. “I don’t want a cat,” she said… Continue Reading
“I’m sorry,” said the clerk looking down on me with a sympathetic look on her face, “but we’re all out of Joy. Could I interest you in a box of Cheerfulness?” I looked at the shelf and saw the gaping… Continue Reading
“Just a minute!” I holler, wincing as I push my hands on my bed to leverage myself up. When the doorbell rings again, I repeat: “Just a minute!” Apparently, whomever it is can’t hear me, because knock, knock, knocking commences.… Continue Reading
Silence dripped from the maples in the back yard, drifted down like snow, was stirred by a passing breeze and pooled around the feet of the boy, slowly climbing his ankles, trying to hang on. He shuffled his feet, trying… Continue Reading
“I don’t understand poetry,” Sam told Leonard, his best friend since elementary school. “Yeah. Who does?” Leonard replied, chuckling. The two of them were sitting in lawn chairs in Sam’s back yard, watching the barbeque fire get hot enough for… Continue Reading
I’ve just awakened, but I already feel tired. It’s probably the jet lag, but that’s not all it is. I feel wrung out from these past few weeks. This is the third international trip I’ve taken in the past few… Continue Reading
Every year at Halloween, Dad would pull out the giant sombrero he’d won once on a trip to Mexico. While we kids would get dressed up, applying face paint, leotards, swords and sashes, to perfect our costumes, Dad would go… Continue Reading