Robbo shook his aerosol spray and started with a broad sweep of his arm. The rattle of ball bearings in the can gave way to a gentle hiss as silver paint frosted the arch beneath the canal bridge. He worked… Continue Reading
Ma dies. You know it’s gonna happen before it actually does, in the bedroom, her breathing gone sticky and slow. Robbie calls 911 even though you tell him not to, snot sliding down his face. (In her everywhere, inoperable, nothing… Continue Reading
The time traveler’s arrival was underwhelming. He did not materialize out of thin air, or even ride in on a jet pack. Instead he knocked gently twice on Bobby’s door and walked in without waiting for an invitation. “Greetings from… Continue Reading
The way I had it planned in my head, this would be the easy part. This is what I had been waiting for: boxing up worthless knick-knacks, pulling cheap decorations from the walls, emptying dusty closets and driving it all… Continue Reading
Travis crashed into the tree as gently as he could because this time he actually wasn’t trying to kill himself. He also didn’t want to get another DWI, so this was probably the first Saturday night since Freshman year of… Continue Reading
The air was cool, but the sun was bright and still carried some summer warmth. Don was happy to be outdoors with his sons. He had bought them fishing rods and was excited to introduce them to the sport he… Continue Reading
Terence Waldrip, like most sentient beings except snakes themselves, was born with an instinctual fear of those narrow reptiles, but it was by no means his only fear. He was afraid of being late for work. He was afraid of… Continue Reading
Four inches away is the closest I would get to Melanie that summer. Four inches of movie theater armrest between two uncertain elbows. It seemed close enough then. It had started as a lost summer, but I was beginning to… Continue Reading
When I finally went to see my mom in the hospital, I was shocked at her emaciated state. She’d spent her whole life dieting and now she couldn’t keep the weight on. I could count Ma’s bones right through the… Continue Reading
“What’s wrong with her?” “We don’t know.” Dr. Alejandro Benetti shook his head in frustration. Every time an economic opportunity convinced him to leave the capital, it was the same story. Small-town nurses were always extremely willing and helpful, but… Continue Reading