Angel Lady
Our daughter vanished. The woman looked pretty normal. She had long hair even though she was over forty. She had a brittle voice that made you listen carefully in case …
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Chapel of the Pines
There’s always room on the bench next to Sad Billy. Under the Whitman Tree. Says the brass plaque hammered into its midsection, the tree took root in 1892, the year …
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Mr. Penny’s Dream
When Mr. Penny woke up that morning, his head felt like a vitamin bottle (plugged with cotton). “Nothing helps a plugged head except strong tea and a long walk.” Was …
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Ms. Blumenthol
T he World Is a Lousy Person. I want that to be my epitaph. Hooman’s is At Last . . . Peace, which is idiotic; he was in perfect health when he dropped dead. …
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Ocean Beach
It’s another perfect day at Ocean Beach Men’s Shelter. I had a desk job for ten years. I made some bad decisions. I got fired for punching Mr. Aldermaston. I …
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Camp Faraway for Bitter Young Men
Mom pushed me to Joey’s headstone. Then she dropped herself like a garbage bag and started bawling. I wheeled around a bit. Cemeteries are depressing. Some of the grave names …
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Mr. Penny’s Seventh
They’re tedious places, hospitals. Mr. Penny didn’t have many hobbies (Walking. Reading. There was something else.) and he couldn’t do any of those at present, not without his glasses, or …
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