Chairs
I grew up in Sydney, if you want to know the truth. I was the middle child of five children (two older brothers and two younger sisters). I had a…
Fly the Friendly Skies
“Hey, Captain Mustard.” A jocular voice called to Marcus Sears (Capt. USCA, ret.) from across the American Legion bar. “So much for my night.” Marcus…
Stupid City
Ami Xochitl-Nigeria-Rubenstein-Ferrol wakes up on her futon and rolls her head around on her Chilean duck feather pillow. She smiles at the waft of…
A Useful Professor
It was the first warm day of the spring. It was warm everywhere. Nobody wanted to be in the university. But nobody knew where else they could be. So…
Don’t Make the World Worse
“Don’t make the world worse” was Iggy’s mantra. He thought this while overlooking the point where the Santa Ana River feeds into the ocean. He…
The Golden Women
Zach Amarosa was a collector of women. He had never intended to be one, but that was how he ended up. When he began, he tried to be respectful; at…
Good-Natured People
Ellen was just sitting down on the sofa to watch the 7 o'clock news when the doorbell rang. "Dang, I wanted to see what the weather was going to be…
Thy Will Be Done
Barry was a likable guy, confident, sporting a $100 haircut and perfectly balanced sideburns. There was no doubt he would be the next senator…
Transformer
Duke Hanley: High school was okay. I was average in most classes, but did very well in math. There was something about the purity that appealed to…
Muffling Voices
I put on the hazmat suit, with its thick yellow rubbery material sticking to my skin. Donning the mask is easy, my foreman says, pressing his palm up…
