There’s a neat row of mason jars at the top of her pantry. Abuela’s jars, each filled to the brim with her marmalade. Carefully ladled and labelled with their year. Tied up with ribbon and a neat square of recycled… Continue Reading
Derek Hayes, Grammy winner and chronicler of the 70s and 80s, was an inspiration. At least, Sophie thought so, even if her classmates had never heard of him. Derek beat heroin addiction and several bankruptcies, but always came out okay,… Continue Reading
I saw a man with a Black Flag tattoo at my dispensary. It was on his leg, nice and faded. I’ve got the same one on my wrist from when I turned eighteen – two decades ago, back when we… Continue Reading
Beryl says it’s my own fault. What did I expect, she says, a man of my age acting like that. We were walking back from Morrisons, our weekly visit. We always have a cake and a cuppa in the café.… Continue Reading
“Marie, what do you want to be when you grow up?” I ask my daughter. She’s lying on her stomach, slowly kicking her feet as if swimming through the thick carpet. Her small, blonde head is propped up by a… Continue Reading
After my kids had gone off to school that morning, I killed a spider in the kitchen. It had appeared unexpectedly on the counter and crawled in the lithe, stealthy way I despised. And feared. My breathing staggered as I… Continue Reading
I watch these parents and their wild children while I clean up the trash and empty the bins. Not a job I enjoy, but Dr. Sanders says work and routines are important. Clyde Peeling’s Reptile Land is a place for… Continue Reading
It was a sticky glowbowling alley, Burton thought, more so than most. He clicked his fingernails on the scorekeeper’s table and stared into the dark screen of the bolted iPad, waiting for it to activate. Overhead, a disco ball cast… Continue Reading
The five women moved slowly, their shoulders hunched, their caps and hats pulled low over their foreheads, their eyes shielded against the glare of the late morning sun. Short handled shovels protruded from backpacks stuffed with gloves, bottled water, notebooks,… Continue Reading
He built his first house for Sophia. The love of his life. The swan. The gliding angel whose voice was like silk. He built big, against an expansive canvas of hills and fields. A place a little way out of… Continue Reading