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
No, I don’t want a cigarette. *** Everything was going according to plan. I met my contact in a dingy bar in the bowels of a low-class brothel. A cesspool of thieves and perverts looking to ply their sick fantasies… Continue Reading
The small, brown package that had arrived for my wife contained two bamboo cutlery sets which she was now inspecting at the dining table. In each set was a pair of chopsticks, lacquered and contoured pleasantly to the hand. The… Continue Reading
I got one job. Watch the birdie. Or should I say the Escalade. Really, I got two jobs, watch and then tail. Could be worse. Could be delivering packages to the docks like Petey. No thanks. I’ll take just sittin’… Continue Reading
“Eureka!” the man exclaims to his wife as they settle into Adirondack chairs on their favorite lounging dock, nestled in the shade on the far edge of the lake. “It’s perfect. The end of the rainbow.” The water sparkles gold… Continue Reading
I heard footsteps come into the house. Then, silence. As young girls, after we helped plant vegetables in the garden, my older sister Ammara and I would fill our straw baskets with mangoes and climb to a high place on… Continue Reading
Liji gulped as she approached the Eastern River’s sandy shores where the Dragon resided. Taking small steps, a numbing pain radiated from her bound feet, cramped inside her silk lotus shoes. Her mother adjusted the flower pinned to Liji’s hair… Continue Reading