Tension builds as the line grows, its tail of bodies winding around the wooden bar. Kaleb eyes the people entering, frenzied in their need to start the day with caffeine. Dreary-eyed, he’s tempted to take a long swig of the… Continue Reading
He’s not going to text you and he’s definitely not going to call you. And most importantly, it’s not because he’s nervous or he’s too busy or he’s trying not to look too eager. You’ve spent three days staring at… Continue Reading
For the first weeks after Nicholas ran away, I’d run for the front door in the morning. Ma would find me staring at the steps. At first she said things like “Maybe tomorrow,” and then after a while she’d go… Continue Reading
I’m the photographer. She’s the dancer. She steps into the spotlight on the Los Angeles bar’s flimsy stage, the crowd buzzing, eyes on her glittering bra, drinks in hand. With the camera to my eye, I push the shutter button,… Continue Reading
Alyce McDugal peering at me should have been the highlight of my life. I spent three hours waiting in the stupid Celebrity Meet and Greet Line. The crowds and bright lights made everything feel fuzzy, like a dream. At first,… Continue Reading
“Man, we were good buddies. My dad always said he was a hard worker too. He hired Jake, my dad did. He worked like a bull too. Back then I don’t think he had much of a home life so… Continue Reading
There you are, standing atop the Natural Bridge at Red River Gorge, Kentucky hugging a pine tree, pretending to be afraid to let go. But you aren’t pretending. You’re afraid of heights. It is mid-September, 1984. This picture was taken… Continue Reading
Elle saw out the window a balloon floating past and up. It was shiny blue, with some characters that she couldn’t make out. Three floors below, on the sidewalk, a small girl in a loose hospital gown watched it get… Continue Reading
I perch on the rim of a clay pitcher. Water is inside. I can smell it. I am thirsty. I grip the rim of the pitcher with my claws, tense my legs, and duck my head down. My beak cannot… Continue Reading
Roger ate some bad oysters. The actual eating happened at about five o’clock. His stomach turned on him sometime around seven. The sun was just beginning to set, and Roger was working at his desk when the oysters first attacked.… Continue Reading