TODAY IS THE DAY I am to gird my loins and rescue my grandchild Benjy from his dragon mother. I am stiff, bleary eyed and trembling and earplugs cannot silence the cacophony in my head. Instead of feeling fit and ready, the early morning sun swats my fragile eyes, every muscle aches and my ancient … Continue reading
Author Archives: Admin
Words, Words, Words
It had been a day entangled in language. And not their language: the language of those who would destroy the earth. But they relied on it, it was the only tongue they all understood and, if the vote tomorrow was to favor a possible future, the wording had to satisfy every parochial interest. Time to … Continue reading
The Walk-On
In the taxi heading home from the airport, Trevor prepared himself for the evening ahead. Since his wife’s death, arriving home after a trip was challenging. Wrung out from wrangling a deal with his foreign counterparts, he’d be assailed by his two children bursting to talk or to listen. His fifteen year-old son, Wesley, would … Continue reading
The McLean Boys and that Wild Alex Hare
I sailed into the meeting, the first since my two weeks off, expecting to be cheered for my negotiating skills, but instead was met with a sea of grim faces. “Didn’t the trade go through?” I asked. “Isn’t the menace gone?” “He’s gone alright,” said the chairperson. “But in exchange we got someone worse.” “Not … Continue reading
A Nasty Shock
Instead of being welcomed with tears of joy and a bottle of champagne when she returned to her husband and mother, Carole got a nasty shock. When she had left Canada, six months earlier, her mother and husband had reluctantly accepted her decision to do so. She wasn’t surprised. It was always easy to get … Continue reading
Fish Eyes
To Alice’s chagrin, fish eyes were the look for the upcoming year. And not just any fish eyes, mackerel eyes. Once again she would be out of step. The desperate young girl leaned into the mirror hoping to get a more encouraging view but, even in subdued light, no wishful thinking could transform her large … Continue reading
Lucky 13
Tania tossed and turned all night, struggling to find the words to save her job. While a good response could lead to a promotion, a poor one could result in a dismissal. Finally at 3 a.m. her husband roared, “Stop jumping around. Just say ‘Thanks’ and take the consequences.” He’d sing another tune if she … Continue reading
The Old Farm
We never went down the same road twice, those Sundays, when we searched for The Old Farm. But whatever direction we headed, the final destination was always dirt — a dusty, July road with scratchy, yellow, grass-filled fields on either side. And on those interminable summer Sundays, we never discussed our destination. Our parents, silent … Continue reading
The Hefner Project
Shivering and frightened, he huddled in the center of the crypt, as far from the sound of the rats as possible. Would someone discover him years from now, the only skeleton not encased in a coffin? Although terrified, he was reluctant to do what they demanded, uncertain if it would save him. They had lied … Continue reading
The Dream
According to my father, my grandmother was an alarmist. My mother, in turn, dismisses my father as a wishful thinker—a dreamer—as “it couldn’t happen here.” Until recently, I whistled along with my father, but no longer. Since my colleagues and I were ushered out of our meeting, deprived of our phones and belts and housed … Continue reading