Twin red flags whipped furiously in the driving rain. The banner corners, frayed by the frantic urgency of the storm, cracked like wet, twisted towels with every wind direction change. Rangers patrolling the beach on ATVs yelled out warnings to those flirting with rip tides and undertow, cautioning that they would be better off on … Continue reading Hell and hallelujah
Category: Master Class
Chasing ghosts
We spent most of the day pulling weeds from the tiny gravesite. The child buried there was only three when he died, and only this first name, and birth and death dates were etched on the crude stone. His very existance seemed to be a secret, and I was determined to shine a light on … Continue reading Chasing ghosts
White hot sky
She kept the TV on just for the distraction of white noise while she prepared for her day. Leaning back from the wall of mirrors over her vanity where she left scuff marks of mascara on the glass, she squinted toward the television, laughing at the weather forecast. She didn’t need a Barbie Doll talking … Continue reading White hot sky
Cornflower fields
The cell is all I know. Brick walls on four sides, and a single window at floor level my only source of light. I’ve lost all track of time, not knowing the passage of days, only counting meals. Does the gruel come twice a day, once? Does it even matter? It’s difficult to tell if … Continue reading Cornflower fields
A father’s right
He sat on the curb, legs bent so he could rest his elbows on his knees. A freshly fired pistol, now unloaded and its clip removed, lay on the sidewalk beside him, but out of reach.Dressed in clean jeans, his most comfortable pair of running shoes and the red plaid button-down his wife always complimented … Continue reading A father’s right
How the cookie crumbles
"You have entered the winter of your life." After reading the fortune, I wadded it up inside the cellophane the cookie came wrapped in, tossing it on my abandoned plate. Reaching for another cookie, my dinner companion tried to retrieve the first slip of paper. “Wait, what did this one say?” He pulled back his … Continue reading How the cookie crumbles
Thin spiral notebook 