A man with strange memories lived a few years ago. He may still be alive; I couldn’t say. We haven’t spoken in years and I’ve heard he doesn’t live in Belize anymore. I don’t have a current address. He was a man who always dressed well. Always wore smart clothes. Fashionable, but not in the … Continue reading The Strange Life He Recalls by William Wren
You are in a box. You’ve only a handful of inches to any side—left and right, before and behind. The world trembles and rumbles. Every so often, it tilts inexplicably. Faces appear in front of you. Squinting. They are four to five times the size of your own. They coo and murmur. They insert large … Continue reading The Move by William Wren
Everyone in Piddleville went swimming in Alistair Stanley’s above ground pool. So it broke. But it was a magic pool. When water spilled out it always filled up to the same level and temperature. Leaking, it did its magic and fixed things. All of Piddleville then became Alistair Stanley’s pool. Everything filled up! What a … Continue reading There Are No Basements in Piddleville by William Wren
As Canadians celebrated their centennial she drifted south from British Columbia through the western United States to eventually find herself swirling through California and, finally, coming to a rest in Pasadena where she remained. It was 1967. All of that is gone now. • • • After returning from the police station, she went into … Continue reading Healing by William Wren
“Are there moose in Pasadena?” “Are there what? Where?” “Moose. In Pasadena. I just ask ‘cause I’ve never been to Pasadena.” Evelyn looked at Mr. Houle as if he had lost his mind. Mr. Houle had what people called “quirks.” White hair, a little bent and a smallish man, he was frailty’s poster child. He … Continue reading I’ve never been to Pasadena by William Wren
I was nearly to Castle Green when the wind found its way beneath my collar. Off guard because there is never much winter here even in winter, I’d left the apartment without a scarf. No, not off guard. Daydreaming. Be honest. I flipped up the hood on my thin coat. When I’d first spotted her … Continue reading Passing Castle Green by Jackie Pugh Kogan
Paige was barely breathing. She hovered over the drinking fountain, her head tilted just enough to follow Tony Moreno’s every movement in the mirrored ballroom. The staccato beat of Tony’s Cuban heels reverberated across the floorboards, his movements precise and powerful. No one could embody the passion of the Paso Doble like Tony. White shirt … Continue reading Mr. Machismo by Lynn Nicholas
Terror on the TenBy Yevette J. West My wife Diane and I are taking a road trip to Dallas to attend an Anniversary party. We are on the 10-East crossing the Arizona state line into New Mexico. It’s a hot, early August afternoon—105 degrees according to the dash gauge. Even though we left our cozy … Continue reading Terror on the Ten
