Question

“Teri.” That name, more than any other, is not normally hard to speak. Justine’s connection to Teri is deep and full of history. Justine does not like people, and she doesn’t often speak to them or let them into their lives. Teri is an exception, but this utterance is different. Behind it, days of thoughts … Continue reading Question →

Incomplete

Junette felt incomplete, as though there was a large piece missing right out of the center of her that had never filled in as she had formed within her mother’s womb. It was not painful, not like a cut or burn or abrasion, but it was uncomfortable, like when something’s pressing on your chest and … Continue reading Incomplete →

The Greatest Good

See Beautiful. Is she still herself? Elisa wonders this, now, in the back seat of her car. After Mr. Myriad’s ministrations, she found herself too exhausted to drive the streets of a city she didn’t know. Her own town is so, so much smaller. The difference between the two is like that between an infant and … Continue reading The Greatest Good →

You Don’t Love Me

“You don’t love me.” She sits on a padded dining chair that she has brought to the living room from the kitchen. Her arms are folded over her breasts. Her left foot bobs in the air, her legs crossed in the form she has perfected over the years to look at once the most elegant … Continue reading You Don’t Love Me →

Mother’s Memories

My mother has memories of my life which I do not possess. To some extent, this is normal. Most people don’t form memories of their births, or of their very earliest days and years of their lives. A few claim to recall moments from before they learned to walk, but this tends to be little … Continue reading Mother’s Memories →

Pressure

“Focus. You can do it.” The course lay before him, illuminated brighter and whiter than day by the spotlights surrounding it. He could barely see the audience, though light fell upon them, too, since the cameras filmed them when the runners weren’t in action. All he could see was the course, and that should have … Continue reading Pressure →

An Entry from Birch’s Journal

I wrote this as a sort of exploration of a character from a longer work, "Letters." I've posted some excerpts from it on this blog: An Excerpt from Letters, or “After Her”; A Second Excerpt from “Letters”; “Letters,” A Third Excerpt. I'm not sure if this is strictly canon, but it's something close. I met … Continue reading An Entry from Birch’s Journal →

In Life

“You’re different now.” “No I’m not. I’m better.” “Better is different, though. You’re proving my point.” “Better is a good thing.” “Betterness is subjective.” “You don’t think I’ve gotten better?” “I... I don’t know.” “You’ve never liked when things change.” “I guess that’s true.” “It is true. You’ve always hated change. You have to learn … Continue reading In Life →

Smells

Nicia has read about people who taste sounds as an impression of flavor upon their tongue. She has read, also, about people for whom number and letters are represented, in the mind, by a specific color, and about people who feel music as though it’s physically touching their body. Nicia feels kinship with these people, … Continue reading Smells →

Good

There are things in the world that you know exist but which you never expect to see in your own life. Some of these things are mundane, like packaging errors that end up giving you an extra of something you ordered online. Some of these things are horrific, like leftover explosives from a war before … Continue reading Good →