The heat is stifling. Our footsteps are an endless string of dry crunches on the shoulder of California State Route 190. Whose idea was it to put a bed-and-breakfast in Death Valley? Something tugs at my consciousness. She looks at her phone again. She always looks at her phone at this point. I can’t remember… Continue reading Sisyphus on Vacation
Category: dying
Manila Folder
The Subaru screeches onto the top level of parking garage B-8. It pulls to the far end of the structure and parks near the elevators. The report slides to the far-right end of the dashboard. An Aldi’s flyer slides on top of the manila folder. The report enjoyed the slide but was perturbed to find… Continue reading Manila Folder
Time to Go
The need to relieve myself finally pulls me from my dreams. I unwrap myself from the covers and make my way to the bathroom in the dark. The son is the father of the man. A line from a Wordsworth poem–I make a mental note to look it up tomorrow, knowing I will forget both… Continue reading Time to Go
Liza Saves a Bunny
June 2022 Flash Challenge, Day 27 The sad thing was, it was not her rabbit. The tragedy might have been much worse if LeRoy had not been there. The young boy became a hero when he chucked his oversized history book at the shooter’s head. LeRoy was a hero, and the town was abuzz with… Continue reading Liza Saves a Bunny
Descartes Conundrum
The limits of thinking I wave my hands in front of the Daniel-thing’s face again. Nothing. Its eyes are open, but it’s not seeing me, not seeing anything. I thought he’d had a seizure; when I checked for a pulse or breathing I found neither. And then there was the stuff with my… Continue reading Descartes Conundrum
A Note to COVID Long-Haulers
Hungry ghosts, branching universes, and day-drinking Psst! Do you want to know a secret? I know why you feel so bad. Physically and mentally. You think you have lingering effects from your bout of COVID-19, and you likely do, but perhaps there’s something else at play here. When you remember it, you recall two phases.… Continue reading A Note to COVID Long-Haulers
Stories by Shawn 