Author Archives: sputterpub

Chronos (Beginning)

Posted on January 24, 2012 by sputterpub

Her eyes are nearly fifty years old but they can still accommodate close work. Lily feels unreasonable pride about that. As if she could take credit for the elasticity of her lenses. She can read the tiny characters etched into … Continue reading →

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Death Valley

Posted on January 23, 2012 by sputterpub

We arrow like electrons, driving flux- impelled directly east across the state. Zigzagging past the pachydermal trucks, we slow our mood as we accelerate. We ratchet down like gears the attitude that in the city agitates our days, adopt the … Continue reading →

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Anarchy

Posted on January 20, 2012 by sputterpub

I argued with my dad for anarchy. I told him total freedom is my cause and said if we were all we’re meant to be, we wouldn’t need to fashion any laws. But he asserted lawmaking’s a proof that we … Continue reading →

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For Whom the Bell Curves

Posted on January 19, 2012 by sputterpub

I seldom speak to telemarketers or survey-takers any more. My caller ID warns me when it’s one of those folks and if I’m too distracted to read the display, there’s always that tell-tale silence after I answer – while the … Continue reading →

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Hypochondriac

Posted on January 18, 2012 by sputterpub

I looked it up today. I knew the “hypo” meant low but I didn’t have a clue about chondria until I googled around. Khondrios is cartilage, specifically that around the breastbone. Originally, hypochondria referred to a pain in the high … Continue reading →

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Shhhh

Posted on January 17, 2012 by sputterpub

“You need to talk more quietly,” misspoke her dad with elder mouth. He cupped her chin for emphasis and curled a gentle stroke, his index finger down her cheek. Within she understood at once, at last, he meant no hurt; … Continue reading →

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Omission

Posted on January 13, 2012 by sputterpub

Oh I can pen advice I wouldn’t heed, compose an argument that I’d ignore, devise a dialogue I’d never read, report a juicy item that would bore me if I happened on it in a book, and even leave me … Continue reading →

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Estranger Danger (Part 3 of 3)

Posted on January 12, 2012 by sputterpub

In the beginning, when Guy traveled away from her she worried. He never left her except on business and then, in her opinion, there was peril. He was a structural engineer. He wanted to design museum buildings but he made … Continue reading →

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Estranger Danger (Part 2 of 3)

Posted on January 11, 2012 by sputterpub

It didn’t help that Guy was alcoholic. Nancy should have been quick to spot that, what with her parents, but Guy threw her off by being functional. He could down four Jack Daniels at lunch and have a productive afternoon. … Continue reading →

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Estranger Danger (Part 1 of 3)

Posted on January 10, 2012 by sputterpub

Nancy knew she was in trouble when she started to imagine Guy’s death. They’d been married 12 years. They’d survived the early marital challenges and at first she didn’t understand her morbid fantasies. In the beginning, when she was madly … Continue reading →

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