Dusty Rodes
Dusty Roads The map fluttered out the window somewhere past Abilene. Didn’t matter. She wasn’t following it anyway. The rearview showed her wedding dress. Crumpled the backseat. Like shed snake skin. The radio crackled. Maybe dead. Maybe searching for a signal. Dust rose behind her, thick as memory. He always said she’d never make it […]
Fireworks Start At Dark
Fireworks Start at Dusk “Why’s she crying?” the boy whispered. His dad handed him a sparkler, eyes fixed on the woman near the fence. She stood alone, arms folded tight, blinking fast. The sky boomed red and gold. Children laughed. A dog barked. The woman didn’t flinch—just stared upward, lips pressed like a secret. “Maybe […]
Boots First
Boots First She spat blood and grinned. “Is that all you got, sweetheart?” The man blinked. He was twice her size, but she hadn’t flinched. Not when he broke the bottle. Not when he swung. There she stood. Boot on his throat. His lip split wide. Sheriff’s lights painted the dust red and blue. “Again, […]
Left Overs
Leftovers She was crying in the pantry. Third shelf, behind the Chicken Noodle Soup. His favorite Still sealed. The date read October 2022. He said he’d be home by winter. She presses her forehead to the cool can, shoulders shaking. Small footsteps echo in the kitchen above. “Mom?” She wipes her eyes. Her face. Smiles […]
The Unseen Tug
The Unseen Tug She didn’t hear the whimper. She felt the soft, warm nudge against her knee. The park bench was hard. Cold. The textbook dense. Her parents’ argument still echoed. A knot in her stomach. She shivered. Pulled her sweater tighter. The scruffy dog, all ribs and matted fur, gazed up. Hopeful eyes meeting […]
That’s All It Took
That’s All It Took The voicemail was only seven seconds. “Hey. I’m sorry. I miss you.” Jenna stared at the screen. Her hot coffee mug suddenly felt cold. Two years of silence undone by six words in seven stupid seconds. She’d built a whole life around being over him. New job, new friends, new therapy. Her lungs […]
Wish Swap
Wish Swap At 2:12 AM., they met at the crossroads. Old rules said you couldn’t make your own wish come true. But, you could swap. “I wish to forget her,” he said. “I wish to remember him,” she whispered. They Pinky Swore. A spark. A blink. He walked away with no ache in his chest. […]
Night Dive
Night Dive The ocean swallowed her light as she descended. Just her, the black water, and the rhythmic hush of regulator breath. Below, a flicker. Then then a flash. She turned, searching for her dive buddy. Nothing. No bubbles, no beam. Then – eyes. Not human. Stalking her. Glaring from the wreck. Panic surged. Breathing […]
Angel Smoke
Angel Smoke The fire was raging up the attic walls. Lilly, by feel, found the cedar box. Her mother’s letters. The only things she cared to save. Though yellowed and brittle, she remembered: “Even in the dark, you were always my light.” She hadn’t cried in seventeen years. Smoke thickened. Flames exploded. A beam cracked. […]
Where Daffodils Begin
Where Daffodils Begin She stabbed the pointed trowel into the icey earth. Then bare hands scooped. Nails chipping. Tears drying on wind-chapped cheeks. The old garden hadn’t bloomed since he’d left. Weeds. Just weeds. And silence. But, today she’d found his note in the shed, dated March 5th: “Plant the daffodils. Flowers of Renewal.” Bulbs […]