The Gathering

by C.J. Tudor

“These are boys. They don’t stick to each other like girls do.” “Well, girls wouldn’t have to do that if it wasn’t for boys, sir.”

At eight you wanted to live forever. At eighty you were glad that everything had its time.

“So, what books do your group study?” “We’ve read Lolita, American Psycho, Dracula.” Barbara stared at him. “Ever thought of trying something lighter, like Mein Kampf?”

The tree has lived here for two hundred years. The man only a few decades. But the man has an axe. And the tree cannot run.

She didn’t think she could handle the terror that such unconditional love brought. “Like trying to guide a balloon through the world without puncturing it,”

“I saw them looking at me in there. You get old, and people look at you like you’re pathetic, stupid.” She guided the truck around a bend. “Well, sir. You should try being a woman.” She saw his lip twitch.

It was no surprise that drug addicts and alcoholics found God during their recovery. They had to replace one addiction with another.

“I’ve told you.” “With all due respect, you’ve told me less than a gnat’s fart in a teaspoon.