50 minutes until departure “Just 20 seconds?” “No.” “10 seconds?” “Dude, stop.” “One second—” “You can’t do anything in one—” “So five?” He laughs. “Ple-hease!” I try again, squirming in the corner of the hostel couch, stretching my face and… Continue Reading
As I was preparing for class, Lois Blaylock, a fellow member of the English department, burst into my office looking like she had just caught the dean in a compromising position with a chicken. She had been my mentor through… Continue Reading
The boy sneaks past the bathroom, opens the door to his sister’s room, and slips his thin frame through. From her closet he retrieves a dress, a flowery, colorful affair. He leaves, closes the door silently, tiptoes back into his… Continue Reading
Doug was in the living room with his mum. “Did you come in your truck?” she asked. Doug nodded. “Wasn’t that truck a gift from a friend?” “Hugh,” said Doug. “He left it to me, eight years ago, when he… Continue Reading
Ophelia indulged in anger and in grief. Those emotions were sublime and transcended beyond sorrow into morbid delight. It was important to her to enjoy distress. Plant your feet, her girlfriend said, but she never said what to plant them… Continue Reading
Mom often said I’d grow up to be the next Judy Garland. I only knew Judy as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. A boy, I didn’t know how I’d transform into Judy. My dad said my mom was nuts,… Continue Reading
The dinner parties pour in, sun-kissed faces aglow. They’re loud and happy, many drunk, some high, but all famished. Restaurant staff charge into action like crew to battle stations. Throughout this chaos, I wait. Nearby yacht fleets rest in their… Continue Reading
Sharon thumped down the carpeted stairs, each step weighted so that she wouldn’t appear to be sneaking up on Margaret. “No need to tiptoe,” her wife had admonished more than once, but these days Sharon couldn’t tell if Margaret were… Continue Reading
Moose’s snoring is quieter than a mass shooting in a shopping mall, but not by much. Tiny shakes him. “For goodness sake, I can’t sleep.” Moose rolls towards Tiny, kisses him on the shoulder and slides a hand down his… Continue Reading
I think I’m supposed to kiss her now. She’s staring intently into my eyes, and I can feel her breathing on me, her bubblegum lip gloss coming too close, too close. I pretend to be fascinated by the water cooler… Continue Reading