The Redwood Asylum

by L.A. Detwiler

We cannot always fault people for being who they are in the time they are born into.

If you know anything about human nature, you know that mercy rarely overstays its welcome.

There are never any flashing lights or billboards that tell you when your world is going to careen off the path. It just happens, leaving us with whiplash, tears, and a churning sense of regret that we missed all the signs.

I’d learned sometimes it was better to be alone. Still, the reality of it isn’t always easy to swallow at the moment, in real-time. My chest ached a bit.

Not all madness gets locked up, after all. Sometimes the maddest are left free, stalking about the world sucking up life.