Turning Jacob began as a short play composed in one act with a bunch of scenes. I thought about presenting it on stage with characters, lighting, backdrop, and everything else. But, I formed it into a short story, a long short story, with chapters. And I liked the end result. More »

Sun was out. But, it was one of those days. She kept behind the clouds, peeking out every after while. A soft silver shade colored Sky, and it was drizzling a bit. The family congregated, for some reason beyond purpose, near the kitchen. Clock was on its first hour during Sunday’s early morning. And the door opened. More »

Jason, at the computer, inspected typing that was appearing across the monitor. Keying backspace, the letter “n” was removed; it left two vowels standing by themselves. Jacob was putting his spine on his mattress. Three feet from the ceiling, he crossed arms over his heart and watched eight-legged bugs protrude out the ceiling’s light fixture. “You came from the library?” he asked. More »

The day before Saturday was not right. Sky was shedding and majority of the neighborhood stayed dry within their doors. Jason was figuring a problem set at the kitchen table. His backpack strap dangled off the boundary, and the zipper was untidy, exposing books and books of notes. More »

On a diamond meshed fence that partitioned Jacob’s family home from his neighbors, four wings moved their wings beneath a decent day. Water had fallen throughout the night, but morning’s slight shine had evaporated some of it. More »

The porch light went off. Final remnants of the gathering had driven off. And the street was numb. Under a crescent moon, Maurice eventually dragged himself to his car. Unbuttoned, his collared shirt revealed a stained white under shirt. He shut his car door and placed a beer in the drinking holder within its center console. He collected his keys, struggling to place the appropriate one in the car ignition. Following amounted seconds of fumble and frustrated breaths, an unstable hand released the car from a parallel position, jolting the vehicle behind it. Signs for stopping were ignored and traffic lights were forgotten as he traveled home. More »

The Tuesday rain kept trees swollen. Underneath moments of stricken bark, their vibrant yellow resembled cantaloupe’s interior. Tears of rain desperately latched to dying blossoms, which blossomed on multiple feet high branches. Wind snatched them, causing feeble switches to plunge. More »

Like the other day, Sky dumped herself. Cars moved over lake-like puddles, creating Red Sea-like walls on concrete. Homeless felines and dogs scampered for any dry soil–house bellies, boxes of cardboard, filth cans, or a long rested car. House roofs were soggy, walls changed to sponges, and porches transformed into wooden ponds. More »

On a second trial to get up, aerosol perfume met his nose. New, it was like a body had just sprayed it on. His hat was somehow on Grace’s side of the bed, which was made. Saturday’s imposing afternoon sun made Maurice’s head pound, and the reminiscence of a metal object kept his groin pulsating throughout his sleep. More »

      On a second trial to get up, aerosol perfume met his nose. New, it was like a body had just sprayed it on. His hat was somehow on Grace’s side of the bed, which was made. Saturday’s imposing afternoon sun made Maurice’s head pound, and the reminiscence of a metal object kept his groin pulsating throughout his sleep. More »