The Eureka moment when Ron Ronaldson discovered how to live to 113 was quickly followed by endless hours agonizing over how to handle his discovery. Should he divorce his wife? He had promised to love Moira “till death do us part,” but that was when he expected they’d die at approximately the same time. Now … Continue reading
Author Archives: Melodie Corrigall
Table Man
Gillian wasn’t a practicing Christian but she thought Jesus, had things been different, would have made a loving husband. Always a good sign when a man is close to his mom and Jesus’ mother wasn’t the only Mary who thought he was great. So when she saw the personal ad, Gillian was captivated. “I can’t … Continue reading
Phoenix Rises
Tomorrow would be the “new start day” Kevin promised himself. But where to start? The mid-term essay was due at 9 the next morning; as yet his efforts were a clutter of disjointed paragraphs and midnight false starts. Drifting along, brushing past other straggling students, Kevin kicked at the papers tumbling across the campus quad … Continue reading
Aspirations
The moment the crown was placed on her head, Matilda acknowledged that even the acclaim that came with winning the regional Pickle Eating Contest—second year in a row—was as naught. Matilda’s passion was sheep; her goal was to be a shepherdess. She had joined the swaying group of people who were successes in the world’s … Continue reading
Ole
The moment her head broke the surface of the blissful water of consciousness, Mandy knew there would be no bullfights today. Her aching bones are crushed under her faded quilt and her head sizzles like a hot air balloon impaled in a blazing Spanish sky. “Get up, Mandy. I’m not phoning in again,” her husband, … Continue reading
For the Cause
It had gone well. No doubt about it. Five minutes into their conversation, they had been laughing and comparing notes about their loves and lives as if they had been together for years. She hadn’t been looking for romance and hadn’t expected the class would be the mother lode. Not a sport type, her goal … Continue reading
Kids, Cats and Quick Exits
For Larry, choosing between Trixie and his balloons was the most wrenching decision he had ever faced. Trixie was close to perfection with her bouncy blond curls, soar in the sky smile and understanding heart. He’d do anything for her, anything that is but give up his balloons. He had collected his first balloon (long … Continue reading
Quentin Blue Heron
Crouched at the end of the dock like a blue heron, a faded quilt pulled tightly around his hunched shoulders, Quentin is as jittery as the bugs—whirling dervishes that skim the lake at dusk. A mechanical hum from up the mountain shatters the morning silence. Is that his brain buzzing? The forested incline is dense … Continue reading
Nobody There
Quentin had been warned that the laboratory behind the grove of ornamental trees contained ghastly biological specimens that could do ‘immeasurable harm.’ When she indicated that she could not understand the word “harm,” her Before-Me had rocked slowly and become smiling. “In that you are a fortunate creature of the earth,” it murmured. “Some of … Continue reading
Going for Gold
Until the radio announcer reported her brother’s death, Frances had been resigned to a life of ignobility. Suddenly she had a chance to go for gold. With the public memorial only a week away (Alfred had acted quickly), it was crucial she develop a strategy to link her poetry to her brother’s art. She also … Continue reading