Until she was twelve, Christine considered her father a god and flourished in his unspoken love. Every Saturday, she pleaded to spend the morning with him in the cramped hardware store he managed for Mr. Moore. Her mother, motivated Christine surmised from jealousy, only allowed her to be at the store during open hours, on … Continue reading
Category Archives: Fiction
Times Like These
She was in jail; that was the short and sweet of it. Small mercy that her parents and brother long since dead had escaped the shame. And when the police finally located her resilient young niece, the young woman would pop a few wise cracks and bounce back to blue skies. But could she, Sandra … Continue reading
Nowadays
Her bulky handbag clutched to her chest, eyes darting left then right, the pale young woman scurried to catch the green light. Safely across the busy street, she reined up sharply: no sign of him. The damp browed uncertainties of the long night subsided, but Allison’s relief was short lived. It was almost 8:30; she … Continue reading
Abandoned
According to the newspaper, you placed your shoes and handbag neatly near the railing. Was that your final insistence on order in a chaotic world? They contorted your life into a shape they recognized: a thirty-second clip of surfaces. In better times, you would have been a poet. In our time, you were a prophet. … Continue reading
Without the China
The Hostess has gone upstairs. No one is surprised. No one seems disturbed except the new friend wedged uncomfortably in the corner. Two of the men quarrel amiably about the party leader. He is too radical; he has no principles. They enjoy the joust: friends in their clothes, warm together. “Remember the time Amy and … Continue reading
How it Was in the Winter
By her seventh birthday, Tanya Beardsley had more dolls, of more sizes, that did more things, than all the other dolls of all the other girls on the block together. For those who would visit, she would display them-a parade of tiny mannequins in costumes of every description. Visitors, however, were rare. When Tanya sat … Continue reading
Scarlet Ribbons
The heavy smell of hot, wet clothing; winter dressed people in a crowded bus. Lucky she’d got a seat. That would have been too much. Standing for an hour after trudging around all day. Her feet were tired. She ached right up to her thighs. Never did have strong legs. Born on a farm, born … Continue reading
The Period of Soon
He arrived too early. Much too early. He was always a bit overanxious. The worried type. He was alone, of course. Standing alone on one particular spot. He waited halfheartedly. He knew it was too early to begin seriously waiting. He had been afraid that contrary to all schedules and recorded data it might by … Continue reading