Published in The Howling Owl·Mar 1Member-onlyBlackbird(s)at the Peach Blossom Flea and Farmer’s Market — A paved-over extant farm field on Peach Blossom Road changes every Friday morning. By 8 a.m. the cracked black asphalt becomes a small city of sellers' booths, the lined-off spaces occupied by cars, pick-ups, panel vans, and produce trucks. Once a guy who sold comic books arrived with his wares…The Howling Owl8 min readThe Howling Owl8 min read
Published in The Howling Owl·Feb 22Member-onlyObject ConstancyHere or not — Glenna couldn’t rouse herself. What was supposed to be a twenty-minute nap enveloped her and now she was stuck in the narrow space between awake and asleep. She could hear television in the background and birds were chirping outside her bedroom window. …The Howling Owl3 min readThe Howling Owl3 min read
Published in The Howling Owl·Feb 15Member-onlyThe Coordinates of Unrequited LoveSuzzi will never sob or cry — Valentine’s Day was over. Suzzi Fitch woke up on February 15th with the worst feeling of having done something she could never take back. Worse, having done what she did would never go any better than how it went on February 14. It was terrible that she knew she was…The Howling Owl6 min readThe Howling Owl6 min read
Published in Hinged·Feb 11Member-onlyRoadkill to RichesKeep your eyes peeled Nobody ever moved as slowly and methodically as David Sturgess. When Anita first introduced him to her brother Nate it became even more obvious. She could see Nate seeing David. “He’s really very slow, right?” asked Nate after watching David walk to their mailbox. But Anite…Hinged7 min readHinged7 min read
Published in The Howling Owl·Feb 8Member-onlyShanking the ClownWhen turning a frown upside down isn’t an option — There are plenty of things nobody tells you when you are diagnosed with cancer. I guess they prefer to focus on things like the hair on your head falling out. You get so used to hearing about that, you don’t even consider how your mustache will come out in big…The Howling Owl4 min readThe Howling Owl4 min read
Published in The Howling Owl·Feb 1Member-onlyThe SnookNot your standard fisherman’s tale — This story isn’t a memoir, it comes from the shady, unformed recollections of my husband, Hank. He doesn’t remember a lot from his childhood, a fact that never fails to amaze me. …The Howling Owl10 min readThe Howling Owl10 min read
Published in Hinged·Jan 28Member-onlyA Snowball’s Chance in HellInnocence was never really an option Dallas, Texas, New Year’s Day, 1930 A two-foot snowfall in Dallas transformed my grandparents overnight. My grandfather went outside wearing my grandmother’s mink. They built a snowman before I even knew it snowed. I was in the kitchen, pouring myself a glass of milk…Hinged4 min readHinged4 min read
Published in The Howling Owl·Jan 25Member-onlyI Am the Ghost of Ellis NixonBipolar poltergeist — The first time I was sent to a sanitorium, I was just 23, newly married to the love of my life, Eliza. Eliza found me walking behind our rental house, naked from the knees up, wearing the black rubber boots I’d bought at a rummage sale. I’d cut my wrist…The Howling Owl11 min readThe Howling Owl11 min read
Jan 25Member-onlyEBay’s Nightmare CustomerSome people — you just can’t make them happy I make my living selling on eBay. Yes, I write here on Medium and I get a monthly payout but the $4.63/month doesn’t really pay my bills. I’ve been making a living on eBay for over 23 years which means I’ve…This Happened To Me6 min readThis Happened To Me6 min read
Published in The Howling Owl·Jan 18Member-onlyQuicksandFrom the bayou to the river and beyond — The walk from Breaux Bridge to the place where Bayou Teche runs itself into the Atchafalaya River is over 100 miles if you don’t take shortcuts over land. …The Howling Owl7 min readThe Howling Owl7 min read
