“My name is Theodore Roosevelt Vance and I know what it’s like to leave in a hurry.”
Category: excepts from short story collection
Nonna Gaylene Walks the Floor (A Harshbarger Mills Story) part 3
I piled everything in a skillet and heated it until it was palatable, dumped everything in a big bowl, and marched out to his run.
Nonna Gaylene Walks the Floor (a Harshbarger Mills Story)
Part 2 I started feeding Pace during the most beautiful Indian summer I’ve ever seen. Lucky feeds the hounds once a day, but by September, Pace was… Read more “Nonna Gaylene Walks the Floor (a Harshbarger Mills Story)”
That’s Not Love (A Harshbarger Mills story, 1944)
Agnes fell into his arms, and he’d taken off her clothes with an adeptness that was surprising for a country boy. Raw, green, fresh off the farm.
Blanche Shaw, at the Edge
Blanche draws me by her very diffidence. She stands apart, looking unhappy and confused.
Rena Davis, 1921
Shame is a fire, burning my core.
Rising, a short story by Joan Spilman
Grandma looks bewildered, like a child who’s been tricked. I’ve seen this look on her face before. In the hospital, mostly in the evening. The physical therapist told me not to worry. “It happens with stroke patients. We call it sundowning. They get confused. Expect her to have good days and bad. Expect her to cry and be moody. Don’t be alarmed at outbursts, accusations.” I’ve never feared for anything until now.
Long Distance, a short story by Joan Spilman
We were a couple. Nobody on the floor but us. This went on for, oh, I don’t know how long. He even begged me to go away with him.
In Love, a short story by Joan Spilman
Who is this poor man, so tired, so broken? Slowly, she recognizes Bart. She can only guess at his suffering, his contained hours of grief. He is in love.
In Love, a short story by Joan Spilman
“You can’t be around a man five minutes without turning it on. I’ve watched you.” Mildred’s words were venom. “You’re sad, Susan, sad. Batting your eyes, sticking your boobs out. Pulling down your mouth like Marilyn Monroe.”