Dec 28, 2022Member-onlyChristmasing with Preet (a Christmas short story)There were 104 rooms — the sign called them “smart apartments” — in Verdant Meadows, the largest assisted living facility in town. So Alli made 104 identical holiday decorations to pin to the small, eye-level bulletin boards on the residents’ doors. She worked for hours with her colored pencils, until…Short Fiction19 min readShort Fiction19 min read
Sep 25, 2022Member-onlyThere Might Be Another Way (a short story)Pia had slept as late as she dared on a Sunday. She slipped into a pew halfway up the right side of the chapel just as the bishop stepped to the pulpit to begin the weekly sacrament meeting. …Short Story20 min readShort Story20 min read
Jan 30, 2022Member-onlyBeyond Ugly (a short story)After 25 years it probably wasn’t even the same door, but it could have been. It led to the same school, the same fetid swamp of teenage cruelty. My grasping the handle unleashed a fresh deluge of memories. My arm trembled, and my knees went weak. Obviously, the decision I’d…Short Story29 min readShort Story29 min read
Dec 24, 2021Member-onlyKeep My Secrets? (a short story at Christmas)I froze when Mom knocked. “Feel like driving to the airport?” she asked through my bedroom door. “Why would I want to?” It seemed like a reasonable question. She turned the knob but only cracked the door. “Because no matter how old you are, Mike, or how far away you…Short Story20 min readShort Story20 min read
Nov 10, 2021Member-onlyHer Voice (a short story)There’s nothing like the sound of a mom reading to her children, when they’re your children too. It’s the exact opposite of their nightmares, the universal antidote to whatever imagined horrors the darkness may conceal. It works on me too, easing me away from today’s and tomorrow’s cares. …Short Story8 min readShort Story8 min read
Oct 16, 2021Member-onlyI Already Did (a short story)Erin tried gently to pull me off the trail. It curved to the right; she wanted to go left. “Let’s go this way, Gary.” The heavy overcast made it dark for late morning, but I’d have seen another path if it were really there. We appeared to have the wilderness…Short Story20 min readShort Story20 min read
Sep 6, 2021Member-onlyWildfire (a short story)Getting to Maylee’s going-away party at all was a thing. My cousin Jaxson and I took a state highway into the country and turned onto a small road, then a smaller road, then one that rattled my teeth and wasn’t even paved. I didn’t complain. …Short Story20 min readShort Story20 min read
Aug 23, 2021Member-onlyI Am Chuck Steak (a short story)“It’s a meat market, Amber.” My roommate’s face in the mirror looks a little hurt, because I’m complaining about church. I’m in her room, tying one of my gym shoes, while she adds a little more curl to her long hair. I have a date with a treadmill. …Short Story35 min readShort Story35 min read
Jul 11, 2021Member-onlyOrange Juice (a short story)On my break I strolled around the block, admiring the trees which lined the streets. They had burst into pinks and whites over the weekend, making downtown smell like spring. They must be especially stalwart trees, I thought, to bloom so abundantly amid the concrete, asphalt, and exhaust fumes. …Short Story20 min readShort Story20 min read
Jun 20, 2021Member-onlyIf Only I (a middle grade short story)Henry! Come up to dinner! Lights out on your way.” Mom was always going on about the electric bill. “Two minutes, Mom.” I crossed out what I had just written and tried again. I watched you wipe a tear away And smile, when “Wipe” was wrong. And “watched” and “when.”…Short Story23 min readShort Story23 min read