Cold off the river. Not winter, not yet. Close enough, though. The field had been chewed up, grass flattened where the trucks turned, green gone dark like a bruise. Frost clung only where nothing had touched it, a neat grid… Continue Reading
The small boy, undersized for his age, scuffled at the ground with the toe of his rubber cleat. It was the bottom of the last inning and his team clung tenaciously to a one run lead — but their opponents… Continue Reading
I am sitting here watching the news, numbed by the endless repetition of details, each time with just a little more added to the picture. The man standing there with a phone in his right hand and a raised arm… Continue Reading
“Oh, snap,” Father Pat said, preparing to step out of the warm rectory into an icy Nor’easter. His clerical collar prohibited the use of stronger words, even though he’d heard them all many times, often followed by an “Oh, Sorry.”… Continue Reading
I have had an enduring pain in my side for three days now, doctor. You have told me to stop calling this line, that you are not here anymore, that we have no patient-client privileges anymore. But doctor. My stomach… Continue Reading
The waiter asked us if we had been to Du Temps Perdu before. It wasn’t really a question. I think it was obvious we were from out of town. We must have looked like we had wandered in from a… Continue Reading
Before I reached the toy aisle, the lavender scent of the unicorn called to me. I had to find which one it was and ran to the shelf of ponies. You can have one, mom says and then we have… Continue Reading
“What are you running away from, Pat?” Carolynn asked, smiling, the contours of her face faintly lit by the sun spilling through the coffee shop window. I leaned forward and cupped my coffee mug with both hands. Every time I… Continue Reading
A simple mix-up. Harry screwed up and he knew it. Once the scientists had worked out how to identify and extract memories, the techniques were rapidly commercialized by Mnemonics, Inc. His job as a technician there was simple enough, if… Continue Reading
I used to live in this town. Alone, in a house just over the dunes. Today is the day, and I have made my annual pilgrimage back to the beach. I lie back and close my eyes. My body on… Continue Reading