Sometimes there’s a moment so quiet right after the exhaled breath when there is no breath, and an interval between two lives is suddenly bridged. My name is William, Wendell or Wallace. I’m not sure which. At this moment, it… Continue Reading
Bridget grew up hearing legends of the stone angel that guarded the graveyard, but she’d never needed her help until now. Draped in a flowing robe with wings outstretched in a righteous fury, her gaze dared passersby to disturb her… Continue Reading
Joey Huff’s parents, the only parents he’d ever known, were childless, near 50, with little exposure to children when they brought him home from the adoption agency. They were so happy that they spoiled him from the get-go and, from… Continue Reading
Not long after my release, I started buying fighting fish. Now I can’t stop myself from stopping off at the pet store practically every day and buying one or two more. I live in a house with seventy-two aquaria and… Continue Reading
They collided on the Farmers Market at Clinton and Bailey streets in Buffalo, New York, on a sultry Saturday in August. She was forty-six, and outspoken. He was twenty-one, and given to few words. They both spotted the last basket… Continue Reading
Honey, come in, come in. Set yourself down in that old rocker to the side of my bed. It’s good to see a young face around here. Help yourself to a cookie out of that tin if you’re hungry. So… Continue Reading
Kayla tried to quell her trembling as she stood at the tree house window, balancing a bulbous green water balloon on the business end of a spatula. From below, a peal of raucous laughter heralded the boys’ approach. “They’re coming!”… Continue Reading
On a bright April morning, Paul Cromartie watched Tidying Up with Marie Kondo for the umpteenth time. He decided it would be the last. He canceled his Netflix account, unplugged his television, and placed it by the door. Someone would… Continue Reading
Irene often felt as if she had one foot in this world and one foot in another. This other world was a “spiritual world,” a kind of invisible cloud that surrounded everything, and she would sometimes commend herself for having… Continue Reading
Benny stood alone outside of the summoning circle that had taken him hours to make; light from the candles provided the only light in the wooded area behind his home. He had his feet firmly planted and his eyes locked… Continue Reading