Everybody has a backstory. I know because I dole them out for a living. I borrow pieces of lives from people I know and combine them with kernels from my mind to make characters for my stories. My current story,… Continue Reading
Today, Ash Wednesday, has been declared No Smoking Day to help those giving up for Lent. There is no Mass in our little hamlet because the local priest looks after seventeen parishes. At reception I check in as a visitor… Continue Reading
“It never blinks.” Fred and John were playing chess. John glanced at Fred, and then at the security camera Fred was staring at. “The camera?” John asked, not hiding the slight irritation in his voice. Fred’s preoccupation with the newly… Continue Reading
The scene was starting to materialize — a dappled draft horse emerging from the shade of a covered bridge. Mildred loved the proud arch of his neck, the way the brass harness fittings glistened in the summer sun. She squinted… Continue Reading
“They’re stealing my things, you know. Their faces are soft and smug. And they steal my things,” the old woman said. She rocked, remembering the nurses’ cool, rough hands. “You’ve seen them, Mother?” Elizabeth asked. “No, I didn’t see them,… Continue Reading
“I’m just saying, it seems fucked up to tell her, she doesn’t even know who he is anymore,” Jenny said. “It’s more fucked up not to tell her,” Susan said. The sisters were continuing the argument they’d been having via… Continue Reading
Every afternoon, Oscar took his walk through the gardens of the Eastland Park Assisted Living Center. Despite dragging his right foot like a reluctant dance partner, he enjoyed watching the daffodils give way to the tulips, the pansies yield to… Continue Reading
The residents who still have their wits with them stare at me. Bruce is wearing what he thinks is a polite smile. “Could you repeat that, Anne?” He raises his clipboard as if to say, I didn’t write that down… Continue Reading
The old man looked around and frowned. He despised the place. “Give it some time, Max. I’m sure you’ll like it better when you get settled in,” the staff nurse said with a rehearsed professional smile. “Not possible,” he growled.… Continue Reading
My grandmother kept a satchel in her room. It sat by the door collecting dust. Inside she had packed a change of undergarments, a nightgown, several pairs of knee-high socks, a cotton blouse, a plain skirt with an elastic waistband,… Continue Reading