From the category archives:

The Room

On the Fast Track to Sainthood – chapter six

April 21, 2009

“Are you in your office today, Father? I need to talk.” “I can see you at four,” Adam Reed the pastor, priest or minister said. “Will that work?” “Yes. I’ll come in the side door. And don’t lock it, for God’s sake. It’s cold out there.” The side door, however, was always locked. A camera [...]

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The Big O – chapter five

April 21, 2009

Between jobs, Terri watched Oprah. Surprisingly, she bonded with the black woman quickly. As a rule, eastern and northern European whites passed straight through to her inner life, Italians and Greeks met significant resistance, and blacks, Jews, and Hispanics were stopped at the border. Oprah, however, like a good hacker, broke herself into little pieces, [...]

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A Second Opinion – chapter four

April 21, 2009

Paul went early to meet the Captain when he called, parking blocks away so he could walk. The cold damp wind stung his face but he didn’t mind. He liked the way it made him pay attention. He was hatless, hands deep in his pockets, his new black leather jacket snapped to the top. He [...]

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BRB – chapter three

April 21, 2009

“I forgot how to cry,” Cerie said, “so I don’t. They say cry if you can but I can’t. They told me to write everything down, even a poem or a song, but who the fuck knows how to do that? I can’t make up a song. I don’t know how to write a poem. [...]

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Cliche – chapter two

April 21, 2009

“There he is!” his mother shrieked. “Oh my God! Oh my God! Look at him—Paul! Paul!” He was twenty-fourth. His mother had counted. They marched through the door from the quiet transport into a screaming mess, cameras and lights, frantic wives and husbands and kids. The chaos hit him like a shockwave. Paul abstracted out [...]

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Outside the Door – chapter one

April 21, 2009

Outside the door, Paul thought it was more difficult. He had not been inside, not yet, so his conclusion was academic. He knew he didn’t really know. But even so, conclusions had to be drawn. Otherwise there was no firm ground on which to stand. One must have firm ground on which to stand, Paul [...]

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