There were scales in the bathroom. Shell looked to the two blue towels already hanging with their limb-shaped patches of damp. Her dad and stepmother had had their showers already, and Shell felt two speeds in her heart. They had… Continue Reading
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
This should have been our best Christmas yet. But it all comes unravelled with the prick of a needle. Jake has become so blasé about these finger prick tests that he doesn’t even notice the message when it first pings… Continue Reading
I opened the curtains. Charlie, in his giant recliner, flinched, as if I’d thrown a bucket of water in his face. “What’re you doing here?” “Letting in the light, bro,” I said. “It’s good to see you, too.” Charlie wore… Continue Reading
I’m lying on the floor of the playroom. The ugly carpet is scratchy against my face, my nose is running and my sinuses are playing a drum solo. I rub my cheek back and forth: It keeps me awake. I… Continue Reading
I never hear the water breaking next door. The neighbor’s pool sits silently as sunlight pours across its surface everyday. Bees and flies skim the water but know to not drop too close to the glossy surface that would threaten… Continue Reading
Anna let herself go limp as Katy lifted her into the back of the shopping cart they had just stolen from the grocery store parking lot down the block. “At least all of the weight loss makes it easier to… Continue Reading