A crafty bureaucrat, Carl Steiger spends his free time in his Wizard’s Cave outside Seattle.
What enormities can occur in a tiny moment. Catastrophes or miracles, irrevocable in either case. Lives lost or saved, depending on uninformed decisions made in the blink of an eye. To make the wrong choice could bring unendurable consequences. Benghazi… Continue Reading
Martin slouched on the seat in the train taking him home from classes in the Highly Capable program. His gangling legs had outgrown his jeans. He had taken a worn paperback from his satchel, but it was hard to read,… Continue Reading
“Daddy!” Cassiopeia and Casper squealed in unison from the dining table. “Why are you late?” Martha snapped. “These children are driving me crazy!” “Jeez, I’m sorry,” Bruce said, removing his coat and kicking the door closed at the same time.… Continue Reading
People see Jesus all the time. They see him on grilled cheese sandwiches and in patches of mold. They see him on walls with the paint peeling off. Even Linda said she saw him on a burnt tortilla once, and… Continue Reading
Bella Codreanu came into my kindergarten in the middle of the school year. She’s a weird-looking girl who wears peasant dresses and scuffed black shoes to school, and has her dark hair braided in pigtails. If she knew any English… Continue Reading
Aksel saw his life in ruins. Annelise, the girl he had loved since childhood, had wed another man — another man who had money and therefore the approval of Annelise’s father. Aksel had begged Annelise to elope. She said it… Continue Reading
I met the man named Luis at an extravagant party in an extravagant Tribeca loft. The host’s name doesn’t matter, but I was flattered to be invited. Yes, I knew I was a long way from Omaha, but I quickly… Continue Reading
The teddy bear was Hitler. Josh knew that for a fact. Why else would Josh be holding the gun at the bear’s head? Josh didn’t know how Hitler had got into his run-down house. He couldn’t have snuck over with… Continue Reading
Anton Maier told me he was not a vampire, but he went out of his way to look like one. His gaunt, deeply wrinkled face was disturbing to begin with. He wore bespoke black pinstriped suits a hundred years out… Continue Reading
Mark looked up from his coloring project on the floor as Mother walked into the kitchen. “I need to start cooking supper now,” she told him. “So go lie down for your nap. And be very quiet when you go… Continue Reading