These Old Ones Open Doors They Shouldn’t
What the superintendent had asked him in the lot on Tuesday, hat in his hand, was how many kids. Roy said he’d never counted, and then he stood there and …
These Old Ones Open Doors They Shouldn’t Read MoreAuthor: john.mitchell
Pull Her Key Card Friday
What he’d asked her on Wednesday, hat in his hand, flour on the counter between them, was how many funeral trays and how many she’d charged for. She said she …
Pull Her Key Card Friday Read MoreCollect His Gate Remote
What the chief had written on that envelope was every rig Curtis could name and what was wrong with it. Twenty minutes, no notes to check — the sticky latch …
Collect His Gate Remote Read MoreI Want Her Vest Back Friday
What the mayor had asked her on Wednesday, standing in the cold at 7:40, was how many years and what the corner was called. She said thirty-nine and she said …
I Want Her Vest Back Friday Read MoreA Notary Dead Since 2019
He asked whether the impression was raised or flat. I said flat — printed, purple, slightly crooked at the bottom edge. There was a pause on that line and then …
A Notary Dead Since 2019 Read MoreTake Her Key Off the Ring Friday
What he’d asked her at ten that morning was how much was in the notebook. She told him — forty-eight years of it, the whole running total, off the top …
Take Her Key Off the Ring Friday Read MoreNinety Minutes on March 14th
He self-reported to the board. Not a defense, not a negotiation through counsel — he called them himself on the fifth day and filed a written account, and then he …
Ninety Minutes on March 14th Read MoreThe One Who Eats
He said: Grandma. Her name is Anne. That’s all. Not angry — flat, and loud enough to reach the far end of a room with sixty people in it. The …
The One Who Eats Read MoreIn the Two Seconds When Nobody’s Looking
She carried it into the dining room, set it down in front of me at the head of the table where everyone could see, and said — in a clear, …
In the Two Seconds When Nobody’s Looking Read MoreThe Spoon Goes Back Into the Dish
She said, quietly, not looking at me: She did it to our mother’s sister for thirty years. I’ve been waiting my whole life to see it and I’ve never once …
The Spoon Goes Back Into the Dish Read More