He woke up with a painful crick in his neck from where he had fallen asleep on the sofa. The bottle of whiskey that he had been drinking to celebrate his success of the night before had fallen from his hand while he slept and rolled across the carpet, its contents spilling out and soaking […]

You’re not a loser until you quit trying, Coach thought to himself, watching as his players pissed and moaned their way to another loss. They seemed half asleep, committing lazy turnovers on offense and arguing with one another instead of hustling back on defense. Thirty years coaching high school basketball and he couldn’t remember a […]

At a stuffy banquet honoring soldiers who fought the Great War, a man approached Mollie and whispered in her ear. “Casualties, thousands needing immediate treatment. Transporting them to an old monastery. Working crazy, all hours. Death, over and over.” His head drooped low. “Too many dying. We loaded soldiers on stretchers, train cars to makeshift […]

“The director of nursing said they were concerned,” Mat wasn’t sure if he’d mentioned this to his uncle but continued anyway, “that you’re more tired and less active.” “Well, there’s that. And my skin’s peeling. Hair’s falling out. Disintegrating, part by part.” Uncle Jack faced Mat with a brief piercing stare before looking down to […]

And the years marched on and on until another war was raging. Ella and Dan had only their youngest child left living at home, and he was beginning high school. Their daughter was in her first year of college, and Ted, the eldest, was on a break from university, traveling cross-country. He told his parents […]