Category Archives: Fiction

Sadie’s first husband was an active, intelligent, adventurous young man. Sometime in his late 20s he changed – turned into a hypochondriac hermit with a bitter attitude and a mean temper. She didn’t understand the alteration, and for a long … Continue reading →

Beware of Molly. She told the story of our June genesis in the present tense, because that seems to her more vivid and less decided. She says telling in the now encourages the hearer to have opinions. But present-tense narration … Continue reading →

Her parents had no clue how inappropriate it was to name her Penelope. It was her mother’s idea, because she liked the sound, and her father agreed. At first they called her their little Pen, then Penny-pen and even Penny … Continue reading →

Laura is certain she was molested when she was very young. She doesn’t remember it but she can imagine it. She thinks her deepest fantasies are proof of it. It’s like her dog and mail carriers. She adopted Logan when … Continue reading →

You’d think I would have it figured out by now. I’m a bright person, very observant, and I’ve been studying two couples for twenty years. I ought to be able to make wise statements about their marriages. But the more … Continue reading →

They conversed throughout that evening. She wasn’t fascinated but she wasn’t exactly bored. They sat side by side on the couch after dinner, sipping coffee and brandy, talking only to each other because Denise and Chuck were settling a geography … Continue reading →

Susan is a practical Western woman. She lives in Berkeley California but she doesn’t believe in astrology or the power of crystals or pyramids. She has never been drawn to meditation or Eastern philosophy. But everyone knows what goes around … Continue reading →

The creek ran murky the day Susan met Siggy, and she hit a cat near the elementary school. Those were probably omens, and they shouldn’t have been ignored. Like all omens, the circumstances were not in Susan’s control. Her house … Continue reading →

Melanie masturbates every other day. It’s not an item on her calendar, and she’ll often let it slide for half a week, but she considers self-love to be necessary maintenance. It doesn’t matter whether she’s in a sexual relationship or … Continue reading →

Renee tries not to recall that January night nine years ago, but she is determined to remember her life, so the scene replays in her. That was when she sent her husband away from home and family, into the cold … Continue reading →