Listen to the story’s song before reading “Help me…” I groaned; no one was around to care. I sat at a table outside the library, but with the way the story I was working on was violating me I may as well have been bent over. Up to then writing had been an escape, the blank page an oasis no matter the desert I found … Continue reading Closer
Listen to the story’s song before reading My death was painless, quick, but the afterlife is a pop-up ad, inescapable. I think I remember looking one way but not the other, maybe the blow of a horn, definitely the thud of my body and CRACK of my skull against street. Even though I could think through what had happened, go back as far as my … Continue reading If I Ever Leave This World Alive
Listen to the story’s song before reading ‘Ya’ll have knocked her up.’ It was either the words that woke me up or the walls of my house shaking. Everything was dark, still again, but a murmur as confused as me drifted through the screens in my windows; I went outside expecting the same calm, starry night that I’d left but instead found all my neighbors … Continue reading Maggotbrain
Listen to the story’s song before reading I stood to the left of the store’s automatic doors finishing my third cigarette in a row; I’d rather risk cancer than go shopping with my girlfriend. It’s not that she took long, it’s that she didn’t take her wallet. I’d say she was lucky to have me outside, ready to drive away, if she was ever at … Continue reading Steal My Sunshine
Listen to the song before you read the story One of the wildest nights of my life happened because I stood still in a rainstorm. I should explain; the drops were 20’s, 50’s, & 100’s, and in appreciation of the rare weather –I was at a club that wasn’t filled with strippers- I looked for the source. While everyone around me lost their shit I … Continue reading Kickstart My Heart
If lost is what you’re looking for there’s no better place than the library; the shelves are the perfect hiding spots and the atmosphere is quiet enough to mark the location of any interruption, inside everything is easily avoidable. I didn’t want lost though, my search was for an employee and I simply ended up that way; I wasn’t used to looking for people. … Continue reading Heavy Stuff
After the insanity at the fair and Pam’s fireworks, we’d all fallen asleep on the hill. I remembered everything in exact detail but I was comfortable when I woke up, too much so, opened my eyes to my bedroom, tried to move but found myself tucked underneath a blanket prison like I’d asked someone to do it. While wriggling free I heard laughter, my mother’s … Continue reading Meant to Be Episode 3: The Plan
“Trust me, it’s gonna be good.” I didn’t know if I’d lied or not, it was my first time at the restaurant as well. I’d bet on the fact that my girlfriend liked to try new food, well that, and her inexplicable tendency to put up with my mistakes; rare were the moments that either proved worthwhile, but even rarer than those were times in … Continue reading For Two
It’d been dark when you started but you had to get where you were headed at some point. You’re wearing the right clothes but your choice doesn’t matter, the rain pounds hard, relentless, soaks through. This early out, turning back is still an option; you can go home, strip, and crawl under the covers until shit clears up. The weather might not ever, and if … Continue reading Storm Symphony
“More garlic.” Dad demanded from across our small kitchen; his arms could’ve spanned the length but he’d agreed to let me help him make the sauce. I’d asked how babies were made. “Gotta’ cover the bottom of the pot.” Peeled cloves in hand I ducked under his elbow, deposited them on the cutting board. He went to work with the knife; we had enough garlic. … Continue reading Family Recipe
