When I arrive, the gray-haired woman is pacing the lobby, hands folded behind her. Long, frizzy waves trail the length of her spine. I stand at the plexiglass window by the entrance, where I’m checking myself in, and I try… Continue Reading
The massive metal door stood before him. Engraved on it were scenes from around the world, windswept plains and towering mountains, sprawling cities and rural villages. As his hand pushed it open, Arlan admired the engravings. He was an adventurer,… Continue Reading
I’m trying to make the dead fit on one page. A wheelchair handle is cropped. In the photo of Maude wearing a pink lei at a cookout, the mountainous background gets a buzzcut, a tight green fade. My mouse drags… 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
They shot the tiger on his chain in a field behind the cages. A giant Bengal, with paws the size of tree stumps. Even lifeless, his body rippled with muscle and sinew. Flecks of gray tarnished his orange and black… Continue Reading
The rabbi tilts his neck so that his forehead rests in his one hand. What have I done? He tries releasing this tsuris, this distress, through his fingertips into the air, through his toes into his worn black shoes. He’s… Continue Reading
I’ve been afraid of elevators my entire life. It’s not as uncommon as you’d think. People avoid elevators for different reasons. Claustrophobia. The possibility of stalling. Of plummeting. For me it’s the interaction with strangers. Being stuck inside a cage,… Continue Reading
The three of us are sitting on a wooden swing, watching the clouds on the surface of the lake. The chains creak with our every motion. Our son, Percy, is sitting between us. He loves fireworks and is patiently waiting… Continue Reading
He was the first customer of the day. I pulled out my earbud and stuck my phone in my back pocket. Then I checked my tablet to confirm his name. “Hello… Robert?” The man looked up from his seat. He… Continue Reading
A symphony of action and reaction played between mirrors in the window display of the small shop in the New Orleans French Quarter. Once inside, Etta surrendered to the fantasy. Convex and concave reflections faced one another in one corner.… Continue Reading