Mr. Willis Montgomery ate his breakfast slowly. It was Saturday. The end of the week had come. He had no more excuses. It was time to rake the yard. Mr. Montgomery despised raking. He hated the crunch of the leaves beneath his feet. It was like listening to someone chew…
Dear Future Self, If you’re reading this, you’ve made it through another year. Congratulations! If you’re not reading this, you’re probably dead. Sorry about that. It’s January, and if you’re anything like me (and I’m betting you are), you’re feeling pensive. It’s dark and it’s cold and most mornings you…
The dimly lit gymnasium/bingo hall of St. Mary’s Catholic School squeaked with shuffled strides and rubber wheels as the members of the Heidelberg/Smolinske family gathered for their annual Christmas reunion. Great Aunt Mabel had died in August, fifteen years after her husband, nearly to the day (wasn’t that always how…
The line was too long and I didn’t like apple fritters, but I had committed to buying one anyway, so I was stuck waiting as the crowd pressed past me. It hadn’t been quite as crowded in the primitive area where I’d bought myself a wooden toy axe while I…
Alice sat in one of the narrow stone paths that ran between the flower beds at Gene Stratton-Porter, staring at a bee busy within the center of a large pink flower. She should not have sat in the middle of the path; she wouldn’t be able to get up again….
Chase leaned against the metal railing that kept him from falling onto the railroad tracks below. The bridge he stood on was old and wooden, with thick, hammered-over nails holding it together. He’d found the remote spot soon after getting his license as he drove, turning at random, just to…
Once upon a springtime eve, when the mosquitoes were not yet out, there was a father who found himself alone. His wife was out for coffee with old college friends, his two older kids, 6 and 4, were asleep, and the baby had conked out in her swing. Even the…
The colors rose into the sky, red and yellow and green, up and up, where they fluttered like the petals of flowers in a field of blue and white. The wind tugged at the fabric of the kite and snapped its tail in wild gyrations. The kite, in turn, pulled…
Ashlyn forced a smile and glanced at the clock. Her current customer had wandered in, dirty, ordered a coffee, and proceeded to relate his life story–for the last forty-five minutes. So when the bell tied to the glass door rang, Ashlyn welcomed the distraction. It was one of her regulars,…
Mollie stepped out into the winter cold and started walking. The snow crunched beneath her boots and thin flurries swept up at her balaclava. Her gloves were thin but if she curled her fingers into her palms, they kept warm enough. Her snug house slid behind, her husband getting ready…
Bitter wind slashed me as I opened the car door. I struggled out into the tempest and slammed the door behind me. Wind and snow struck my face; for a moment I couldn’t breathe. Blinking, I made out the general form of Wal-mart, lowered my head, and shuffled forward, wary…
David opened the fridge door. With a flicker, the light inside died. David stared at the dark interior for a moment, then laughed, before pulling out the package of sliced turkey and a slice of processed cheese. Not much else was in the fridge: a half-bottle of ketchup, some shriveled…