“Hell Bent” first appeared in the Birmingham Arts Journal, Birmingham, AL in 2005. Cousin John Mauer was the bane of my existence. He thrived on aggravation, and the fact that he was relation made it worse. I had to put up with him at school and most every Sunday, since the family attended Flat Rock Methodist Episcopal Church. If he …
The Blue Woman
This story first appeared in The Potomac, 2007. Before Doris went to the nervous hospital, she said the Blue Woman was speaking to her. My ever-imaginative sister claimed the woman told her to visit Mason Howse. “He lives on Mary Street, remember? The big foursquare with black shutters.” I gave her a look. The war had been over for six …
Mermaids
First published by Southern Women’s Review in 2010. When I was going through a mermaid phase in second grade, Daddy splurged by taking us to Weeki Wachee. I spent time afterwards in the car drawing the fish women with their breathing tubes and their hair floating out like octopus arms. I drew in lipstick and sparkly jewelry and a cigarette …
The Last Storyteller
Here lately I’m become more aware that I’m the last storyteller. By that I mean the last one (the only one) in my family to dig into family history, sift through the facts. I’m the one who’s writing things down before they slip away like canaries from an open cage. Stories have always been an important part of my life. …