James Pyles's Blog, page 207
April 28, 2017
Every Sunday at Table 19
Dave closed his soda shop on Sundays for two reasons. As a devout Christian, he believed Sunday was the Sabbath and he refused to do business on Christ’s holy day. The second reason was more complicated. He knew they needed to have some time just the two of them. Each Saturday night, right after he […]
April 27, 2017
Anne
Her grave was one of the few to survive the uprising. Earth defeated the invaders in the Revolution of ’48. I can barely make out ‘Anne’ on the gravestone. She was thirty when she died, one of the millions killed in the uprising. Only because my project was so secret did she think I died […]
April 24, 2017
The Winner
“I won! I won!” Benny knew he was embarrassing himself but he didn’t care. As he walked past the State Lottery office, he jumped up and down while raising his arms in victory, like a prize-fighter who had won a boxing match that he was expected to lose. “I won!” He wore an exceedingly wide […]
April 23, 2017
The Cherry Blossoms Are Blooming
I used to hate gardening, but that was before. Now I find it gives me a sense of peace. I remember that he liked gardening. He found it relaxing, even in the heat of the day, which used to drive me crazy. I wear his old gardening hat. The brim shields my face and removes […]
April 20, 2017
The Old Phoenix and His Ashes
Gary woke up from the nightmare in a cold sweat. It was the same dream every night for the past week. He saw a man burning. The burning man was wailing. He reached out for Gary. His flaming hand almost touching his face. Then Gary would wake up in a cold sweat. He had just […]
April 19, 2017
Back to Life
She pulled her grandmother’s shoes out of the packing case, dusted, and then polished them. Leah regretted neglecting her passion, the one she learned from Grand Mama. Mendel had been such a good husband and they had a wonderful life together, but looking back, she had devoted all of her life to his pursuits. Poor, […]
April 18, 2017
Duck Blind
Glenn and Marie were told to stay in the backyard and never to go up the rise to where the old wagon rested. Of course precocious eight-year-old twins didn’t listen, so whenever they knew Mommy would be busy cleaning or doing laundry, they went up to play in it. It was really just a collection […]
April 16, 2017
We’re Either Stopping Genocide Or Starting It
From the Flight Log of Freighter Pilot Camdon Rod Not only am I a moron, I think I’m going out of my mind. For the record, my name is Camdon Rod and I’m the owner/operator of the jump freighter Ginger’s Regret. Ginger, the woman the freighter is named for, is here too. Well, sort of. […]
Saving Jenny
From the Life and Curse of Sean Becker I haven’t had a meeting like this since I stood face-to-face with Moshe Cohen, the vampire who made me. Oh, my name is Sean Becker and I’m a vampire. I also work for a private detective named Aidan Burke in L.A. Tonight, I’m sitting across from the […]
Quit Putting Dragons on Clocks
Charlie Wise had been stopping by the Curiosities Shop every Thursday afternoon for the past ten years. This time he saw something different. “Antique clock, Phineas?” “I have a terrific new repair guy working for me.” “Yeah, but a dragon?” He keeps adding dragons to everything.” “You know, I’d buy the clock if it didn’t come […]
