We were vacationing in Huntington Beach that summer day. I spent time working on an envy inducing tan before the sun became too hot to lay still. I lifted my head off the beach towel. A yellow flag whipped above the life guard tower. Rolling to my back, I watched an obese man flip over and over in the surf. The lifeguard walked to help him out, not even bothering with the red floatation device. A smirk crossed my sixteen year old face. Fat ass, I thought. Shouldn’t go in the water if you can’t handle it. I headed for [...]
Dead
Strands of Christmas lights twinkling overhead lit Guido’s Pizzeria. I sat at our table in the back corner twirling my engagement ring around my finger. I unfolded the postcard clutched in my hand and read it again. “I’m not dead. Meet me tonight at Guido’s Pizzeria. Tell no one. ” My heart tightened like it had a month ago when Ryan went missing. When he didn’t return home to our shared apartment from his hunting trip in the woods on time, I wasn’t overly concerned. Ryan was no unseasoned rookie out hunting in the woods in the winter for the [...]
Warm Velvet
“Go ahead, you can touch it,” I say to everyone who comes over to our house. ”It feels like warm velvet.” Most people wrinkle their noses. “Really?” I nod. Then they reach out their hand. The other held in tight to their chest, ready to make a quick escape. “It’s really hot!” they say and start petting. Soon, they are met with a head butting into their hand, demanding more. The rat-like tail whipping back and forth. The warmth always surprises. An animal’s normal body temperature is between 100 and 102 degrees, but it’s not something normally felt through fur. [...]
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