Uncertain Shape

She looked up. The street lamp was flickering. She moved closer. Freezing rain was falling on her head, and now there was a possibility that she would have to endure it in the dark. Another step towards the lamp. She prayed it wouldn’t go out. She heard a door shut behind her. Turning to look,… — read more

Jared stood within the limits of the lantern and watched the dark. The room was cold. His sweater was threadbare; it let in the chill. He sat down near the lantern, warm. His shadow cast onto the edge of light. The lantern’s reach edged away from the dark. His head whipped up. Jared couldn’t remember… — read more

Doctor Hansel came into the waiting room. The lights were dim, and the chairs were vacant. Across the street, through the front window, he watched an old couple walk a small, orange dog. They each wore yellow rain slickers. Their hoods were down. The old man bent down to tie a shoe, but the woman… — read more

“I want to touch the sun.” Angela parked her car and opened the door. She pulled out her cigarettes and lighter. She lit up with trembling hands. The heat from the flame warmed her face. The quivering inside her diminished. Her hands calmed; she exhaled across them. She finished the cigarette. Avoiding the sidewalk, Angela… — read more

A floating dock stretched into the lake. Holding his red rod and bait bucket, Andy stepped past the guard rail. Now he was on the water. Andy looked back and asked, “You got this, Tom? The water’s calm.” “Oh, shut up and give me some room. I can’t get through with you standing there.” Andy… — read more

The room Sam looked into was dark. He searched for the light switch. Found it. Three lamps, situated around the room, shone with a yellow tint. The aroma of whiskey floated up from the carpet. Sam looked around. A bed at one end and a desk at the other. A window with curtains pulled shut,… — read more

Robert sat in wet grass; his pants were soaked. Above, lights flickered and buzzed. Empty bleachers faced each other—too close. Once, they held a game. He took a drink from his flask. Robert looked up at the half moon, then at its reflection in his flask. A distant hand extinguished the lights. Robert heard angular… — read more

Jane glanced out her windshield. The day was calm, even at forty-five hundred feet. Her plane speared through the air, leaving no feeling of its passing. The view ahead was clear, and she was low enough to use landmarks. This was a straightforward flight. A moving, dark spot caught her left eye. She snapped her… — read more

Sam stepped up onto the makeshift stage. It didn’t feel very solid under his feet, but he’d seen plenty of people use it without incident. The band last week had three people, and they even looked like they’d had plenty of space. Sam walked over to the guitar amp. It was old, tattered, and smelled… — read more

Tim sat in the coffeehouse, staring out a window. The view was of a busy sidewalk and an even busier road behind it. He took a sip of his latte and continued to watch the bum sitting outside the shop’s door. He had settled his location to play on the guilt of gourmet coffee consumers.… — read more