It took Walter 30 years of day-in-day-out rehearsal to let the water roll off. He'd always been a soaker, a holder, a grudge-lover, a moper. Forgive was the F-Word. Just couldn't bring himself to say it, let alone do it. Walter eventually developed the level of facility required to let go. His gnarled heart untangled;…

The detritus of life tumbled from Lynda Filson's pockets like unsupervised Jiffy Pop®. Litter trailed in Lynda's wake as a convenient way to retrace her numerous steps. Out on her rounds, Lynda worried, and hovered, and wrung her hands a lot. There were so many details left unattended that her days were filled with activity…

Life is a laugh and a romp because Matilda keeps decrepitude off her heels. She simply avoids all reflection. Matilda refuses to allow the pile up of years to mock her from the other side of a mirror. She knows better than to look at faces and places overly long, and with a squint of…

The face in the mirror bewildered Mildred. She was young and lissome only yesterday. It was just yesterday honeysuckle perfumed the air, and Mildred picked peaches for a cobbler. She promised Jack Montgomery she'd bring her cobbler to the Friday Nite Pot Luck at the Grange Hall. His band was to play afterward. There'd be…

Nelson collected dark tinted brown, green, and blue receptacles because he boiled up and bottled things like Eschscholtzia Californica, Chamaemelum nobile, Hypericum perforatum, and Humulus lupulus. It was a classic case of Mind vs. Body in a war of wills, and Nelson brewed all sorts of curatives in hopes that the two factions would call…

Jo often walked along the tracks of an abandoned railway tunnel, its silence and dank darkness helped to put in order Jo's jumbled thoughts. One day, which had started out like so many other hazy beige days, Jo saw someone ahead of her on the tracks. She'd never been confronted with company before, so she…

Gary's problem isn't intelligence. He's got more knowledge stuffed in his skull than is healthy, in my opinion. Poor guy stumbles over the simplest things though, like ordering lunch at the drive-thru, but he can take apart a computer or a tractor and put it back together better than new. Always knows how to spell…

  A swishy-crinkle was underfoot. One of Claire's sneakers made a sound as she raced along the crowded sidewalk. She dodged tourists with baby strollers until she came up on Luke's. Claire turned into the cordoned off area in front of the restaurant and took a seat at a recently vacated table. Relieved to find…

Buzz is having a bad day. He's late again. Damn bus refuses to keep to a schedule. Few things annoy him more than inconsistent public transportation. And his job in retail. Buzz's back hurts, as if forks and knives jab and cut right through his muscles. He considers calling in sick but rent is due.…