Viking sword from Lesja Oppland, discovered 2017
She swings again, the blunt-edged sword whistling past his ear by a hair’s breadth. He slices upward with his own wooden blade. Continue reading
Who’s Gettin’ Schooled?
Carrot Ranch
Cheesy Lines in Apocalyptic Times
Air quality alerts had been on “Severe” for the past two months. The pub was filled with exhausted workers.
His Secret, and Hers
His long spatulate fingers, joints knobby as cherry pits, cup a bouquet of fresh dwarf roses. He shifts from foot to foot within the grove of birch trees, anxious over his late arrival at the graveyard. Continue reading
Jack the Ripper Spins
There’d be no dancing in the pub that night. Air quality alerts had been on “Severe” for the past three months, and the popular Sorrowing Gnome, with its airtight construction, was filled with exhausted workers. Pub owner Tommy Finn leaned an elbow against the bar and stared at the TV above.
Heavenly Timing
“How about him?”
Gabby considered, lazily twirling her lariat. “If he finds what he needs on Earth, I’ll hold off collecting.” Continue reading
Spring’s Assurance
Spring is late, delayed by a blizzard that left two feet of soggy snow, making my front stair’s existence a Schrödinger’s cat. When late April sun emerged, so did we.
Summer, Early ‘80’s
Indiana Summer, in cheap housing with no a.c., a mixed neighborhood of blue collar, elderly, and our houseful of assorted grad students, temporary sublets like me. Continue reading
Valley 