The Sledgehammer Game
byIt is August hot and the roof hasn’t been put on yet. Dickie isn’t the foreman but he’s furious about the delay. He makes one of his big scenes at…
Stories
Uncle Percy Who Art in Heaven
byTHE SUN IS GOING DOWN IN THE GALAPAGOS. Blue-footed boobies and penguins roost on the rocks by the sea where the turtles cruise through like underwater magic carpets. I got…
Histories My Brothers Taught Me
byYou were hatched, like a bird. The yard is a Confederate graveyard. Peter ran away. Mom used to be tan, like a sunflower, like a stick of butter. Pregnancy frazzled…
Ghostland
byI first noticed our family stalker on the same day Alice Hemper wet her pants. There was a commotion by the cake table where a dozen eleven-year-old girls had gathered…
Blue
by“Where am I today?” “You’ve got third base, Phil,” the umpiring crew chief tells him. The name ‘Phil’ is written under the brim of his umpire’s hat. That was a…
Our Little Problem
byI LAY ON MY THERAPIST’S COUCH, a pillow over my face. “Have you noticed that no one listens to what you say?” she asked me, her voice sympathetic. “Yes,” I…
The After-dog
byNamed a Finalist for 2018’s Best of the Net AND THE BOY ACROSS THE FIELD is trying to beat the dog off of his arm, but it won’t un-bite. The…
Medicine
byTHE VACCINE WORKED FOR LANEY LAST MONTH. Sores along her neck, arms, and torso ebbed. Her hospital-grade fever broke. When she was sick I sent her an arrangement of fruit….
Engineering in Four Cars
byPull/Draw HOW IT BEGAN: I TURNED FOURTEEN IN THE YEAR OF THE DOG. My father gave me the devotional book that birthday, a hardbound edition with a cover I pulled…
Ashes
byPAUL KEEPS JENNY’S ASHES IN A GREEN METAL THERMOS that he carries with him wherever he goes. This morning Paul put on his good suit and got on a bus headed…