The Old Toolbox
I flipped the latches on the old metal toolbox and swung the lid wide. The smell of machine oil and aluminum rose out of it, the smell of my garage …
The Old Toolbox Read MoreAuthor: pologo
The Quilted Purse
I unzipped the big quilted purse and took out my telephone. The screen was lit, and a thin red line crawled across it, counting seconds. Fifty three minutes, forty one …
The Quilted Purse Read MoreThe Old Dog Tags
Mr. Begay laid the dog tags on the glass patio table, between the burrito platter and the Bloody Mary pitcher, and the little chain made a small clear sound against …
The Old Dog Tags Read MoreThe Folded Program
Mrs. Pettaway unfolded the church program slowly, and the dining room went silent. It was cream paper, folded in thirds, soft with handling. On the front was a line drawing …
The Folded Program Read MoreThe Old Gray Mare
Mr. Beaumont held up his phone for the whole tent to see. On the screen was a photograph of an old gray mare standing in a barn aisle, her head …
The Old Gray Mare Read MoreThe Coast Guard Report
Mrs. Lindqvist unfolded the report on the terrace table, and the jazz trio put down their instruments. Out on the water a ferry slid under its string of lights. The …
The Coast Guard Report Read MoreThe Little Blue House
Dolores Pratt laid the photograph on the white tablecloth between the tomahawk bones and the birthday cake, and she squared it with one finger, the way you would set a …
The Little Blue House Read MoreThe Plaid Jacket
Mrs. Kowalski unzipped her jacket slowly, all the way down, and held it open like a woman opening a book. The jacket was quilted, in squares of red and black …
The Plaid Jacket Read MoreThe Sugar Envelope
Mr. Desrochers held the envelope in both of his big weathered hands, and for a moment he did not open it. Steam from the evaporator rolled around him, sweet and …
The Sugar Envelope Read MoreThe Yellow Church Hat
Mrs. Grant took off the yellow church hat and laid it in her lap, and the whole table seemed to lean toward her. Beneath the hat her gray hair was …
The Yellow Church Hat Read More