Marsha is looking out the plastic window of our habitat now. She's looking at that permanent fog infesting the outer wall of The Dome - that relentless barrier between us and the wastelands outside. "I can't stand it," she says. "I can't stand it. I can't stand it." The sand, over time, has ground away … Continue reading Marsha’s Last Stand
Dark Winds
He wanted to say brash things. Let the herald of a thousand flowers drown the daylight by which they fought and the moonlight by which they buried the dead. Let us speak of brash things as if the world were not itself. But all he could do now was hear the relentless wind grinding sand … Continue reading Dark Winds
We Went Too Far
Nobody liked you. I mean nobody. It never occurred to me that you knew that. It never occurred to me that we went too far. Smartass sonofabitch. Standing here, that's all I can think of to say to you and mean it. You thought you were smarter than everybody else and so you used big … Continue reading We Went Too Far
And All Our Yesterdays
I like it up here. It's dark and windy, and I can see the lights rolling across the hills tucked away in little neighborhoods like mine. And just over their, SFO. I watch the jets angling up from runway two eight. I breathe in the sensation deep as they tuck their wheels up into their … Continue reading And All Our Yesterdays
I Remember the First Time I Saw Her
I remember the first time I saw her. That was before the SS was after her. Before Mama told her to hide. Before I came to this dark place where there is nothing left but to wait. I was just ten years old and I was following the postman that night. I knew he wasn't … Continue reading I Remember the First Time I Saw Her
The War was Far Away
Papa was at the war. The war that was very far away. When Jimmy and I ran out back and into the scrub desert, we would chase the sun until it settled behind the dry hills of New Mexico. Panting and grabbing our aching sides, we would collapse in the dirt and say, "We ain't … Continue reading The War was Far Away
A Sudden Change
She used to march right in front of me, her feet waddling a bit as she remained one step ahead of me for one glorious hour after another. She played bass clarinet. I played French horn. And in my freshman year of high school, we marched in every parade. She had daisy blonde hair that … Continue reading A Sudden Change
Two Bravo Delta
When people asked Grant Lambert what he did for a living he always said this: "I do what other people don't know how to. And even if they did, they wouldn't want to." There had been that one time when a cop had pulled back his jacked to reveal a Glock holstered to his hip. … Continue reading Two Bravo Delta
Switchblade
Jack pushed open the glass door expecting to tell his crew what had happened. Instead, he met a wall of voices and clatter. Keyboards clacked, monitors blazed and people chattered on headsets. Branson was already on his feet, walking towards him. Jack rolled his eyes. Branson grabbed Jack by the elbow and pulled him back … Continue reading Switchblade
Tangerine
It was a damn mess. Jack Harley straightened his tie, but couldn't keep the November wind from flapping it to the side. He flicked his hands away in disgust, rebuttoned his suit jacket and walked briskly across wet pavement towards the flashing lights, yellow tape and cops milling around a Dumpster with flashlights. He forced … Continue reading Tangerine
Michael J Lawrence 
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