Where there was fire, ashes remain
By Pablo Libedinsky It wasn’t my fault that the woman approached me at the airport saying that she recognized me after forty years, that we had been an item in college for a few months and that it was a pity I didn’t remember her because, as she said, we had been very close,…
Possibilities
By Daniel Hagan Allison begrudgingly settled into her barstool, convinced she would never follow Dr. Steinberg’s advice again. “Try going to the pub alone,” her therapist had suggested in their recent session. Then the worst part. “You never know what might happen when you open yourself to possibility.” Sometimes Allison couldn’t decide which fact was…
Housesitting
By Paul Moffett I was only supposed to feed the cat. Martin asked me to check in on his apartment over the weekend. Feed his cat, water his plants. Check for robbers under the bed, I guess. Now, Martin makes good coffee. That’s the thing you have to know about Martin. And he won’t tell…
We Don’t Know Your Death Plan
A Memoir by Macey Sidlasky You didn’t ask us to have power of attorney, but we have it. You didn’t know, months ago, that we would sign off on forms that are now tacked to your charts, your files, a warning to all that cardiopulmonary resuscitation should not be attempted. I want to tell you,…
Golden, Brown, and Delicious
By D.W. Davis The chicken is amazing. Twice-fried, then bathed in a house sauce, not too hot, I can’t handle spice, but peppers soothed with butter and honey and maybe a touch of bourbon, though the cook—no chefs here—will never tell. You bite into it—the chicken, not the cook, a man named Julio with a…
Please don’t share this with my children, but….
A Memoir By Venessa Anderson There is a certain peace that descends on the house once my grown children leave. “Visits.” That’s what my sons do now with the home they grew up in. They arrive with their girlfriends and stay for a week or two, riling up the dogs, relaxing with their feet on…
An Open Gas Pump
By Robert A. Bak Bill looked out his front window, hoping to find some rain clouds, but it was another sweltering and sunny day in the high desert. The area had been breaking record highs for the last two weeks, with temperatures over 100 degrees daily and nights in the mid-to-high 80’s. Bill was trying…
Do Not Disturb: Grief Log
By Olivia D’Zavala When my mother died in 2023, I was six hours away, living a life that had no idea of what she was going through. She wanted to protect me, she wanted to make sure not to disturb me, so she didn’t allow my stepdad or my brother or my aunt or my…
Before It Gets Colder
By Tom Dilworth “They drive too fast through here,” he said. “Hmm,” she said, raking leaves without looking at him. He scoffed and carried the extension ladder to the front of the house. His arms ached, holding its weight. Their son had offered to clean the gutters on Saturday. It can’t wait, he texted back.…
Tree Man
By Stephanie Ross The day I became a tree was the day I lost her. I was there when they met of course, otherwise I could not tell this tale. I stood tall and strong just as I always did but my newfound lack of flexibility and flesh made holding hands quite impossible. I did…
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