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
Mommy bursts through the door. I jump up from the bottom step. “You got one!” I squeal, spotting the box she’s carrying. She’s panting and shaking. She slams the door shut and slides the bolt across just as something crashes… 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
As I was preparing for class, Lois Blaylock, a fellow member of the English department, burst into my office looking like she had just caught the dean in a compromising position with a chicken. She had been my mentor through… Continue Reading
The wishing tree is a twisted thorn on the brow of Mill Hill, one of those trees that has been shaped by centuries of wind into a crouching, defensive posture. The local school girls — of which I suppose 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
It was a cold morning in the old grey city. End of March, with dirty snowbanks on the streets and the sun hiding out somewhere behind the clouds. The three of us took a large black taxi to the hotel… Continue Reading