52 Lives

They Never Heal

Week 41: Written October 13, 2016

Carrie stepped out of the subway and wrapped her scarf tightly around her face. It was cold out. Having just flown in from Florida, it was very cold out. She had her winter coat, a sweater, a wool knit hat, and a scarf, but even with all…

Pigeon Food

Week 40: Written October 4, 2016

The gravedigger scooped the last mound of dirt and tossed it aside. Larry Potter was now a full six feet under the ground, fully, completely dead. Nothing but a dead guy in a box. Dead. Totally, unapologetically dead.

Nothing To Fear But…

Week 39: Written September 29, 2016

When Oscar took the garbage out to the curb, he saw it. Nothing but a shadow in the street, the silhouette of a dog or a fox — a shadow, but nothing there to make it.

All We Do Is Drip

Week 38: Written September 21, 2016

Calvin liked candle wax. The wet kind, mid-drip, too hot to touch. As a kid, he’d watch it like a cat watches birds, wondering just how far that little drop would go before it cooled down and froze, forever, in one place.

Leave It Behind

Week 37: September 15, 2016

Not many people knew about the cul-de-sac. After all, it was hardly a road anymore. No street signs, either. The houses that had once stood there were long gone, having long ago been gobbled up by the dense woods that encompassed the entire…

From The Front Door

Week 36: Written September 5, 2016

Sometimes, you need to take a breath before you walk outside. Other times, you need to take a baker’s dozen.

Paul Kafka stood by his front door for damn near an hour watching the events on the other side…

The Promotion

Week 35: Written August 27, 2016

When Walter got word of his promotion, he didn’t want to celebrate. He wanted to get to work right away, to prove that he deserved it. He knew that, when he walked into the office on Monday morning, there’d be people in the shadows talking about…

It’ll Cure What Ails You

Week 34: Written August 25, 2016

When Sharon asked Chandler to go pick up her medicine, he was happy to help. She wasn’t the easiest patient to take care of. She always over-exaggerated her symptoms, moaning and groaning with every sniffle. A drive to the…

Black Wood and Carrion Cliffs

Week 33: Written August 15, 2016

“Where is it?”

“Up here, I think.”

“You think?”

“Yes, it’s up here.”