Three days before Christmas, Mary slipped in the shower and cracked her head on the soap dish. I found her half an hour later. The water was long cold and her skin had turned purplish, like an overripe plum. Her… Continue Reading
When will Mrs. Stuart wake up? I’m not certain; the doctor said she’s in a deep sleep and when ready, will wake, when the time is right. She looks so peaceful, even with that machine and everything. Yes. I wonder… Continue Reading
Bob woke up early. In the shower, he rehearsed his ten o’clock presentation, a one-page map in his mind, a landscape he would negotiate for an hour and a half — Haines’ Iceberg Theory, the way he had been planning… Continue Reading
“Our health plan doesn’t cover this.” “I know, but it’s the only hope you’ve got. The doctors are saying that it’s a serious case, that your liver will fail within weeks and that you’ll lose brain function with it. It’s… Continue Reading
A lone firefighter walked through the deserted street. He saw the playground where he’d run as a boy, and watched for a moment as the swings, faded but intact, swayed in the autumn wind. A yellowed piece of paper blew… Continue Reading
Feed me the sun, said Grandma, so I can get warm again. I woke up crying, my hands still curved from pressing Grandma’s cold, soft, swollen feet in my dream. Outside it was gray and damp but without the relief… Continue Reading
It’s been four hours and nineteen minutes since I plugged my alarm clock back in. I had already been running late and the cable man had been early for once and since life isn’t porn, I couldn’t just strip —… Continue Reading
Solemnly, the seven little lawyers looked down at her. Even comatose in her hospital bed, she was so beautiful — her skin, white as snow; her lips, red as blood; her hair, black as ebony. “Who are we meeting with,”… Continue Reading
Hi. If it doesn’t seem too forward, could I buy you a drink? The champagne, perhaps… something golden, to match your hair. Oh, of course — the whole bottle. The sky’s the limit, tonight. I can’t give you the stars,… Continue Reading
She keeps the sun inside her pocket, front right, just underneath the Moon and Mars. If you ask to see it, she’ll smile and tell you to be careful and hold out her palm. They won’t look that big, really,… Continue Reading