The Barter system Kaye had dozed off. A couple of nudges from Barb made her stir. “Kaye … Kaye... I’m done.” Barb nudged her a second, then a third time. Kaye’s eyes opened slowly and looked up. She squinted when Barb turned on the table lamp beside the sofa in the clinic's waiting area. Kaye had fallen asleep on it. As she came out of her daze, she looked up showing concerns about her adopted pet. She swung he legs off t...

Chapter 7 A Lost Soul Meanwhile in another part of the county, there was another patient, who was recovering. Tom wanted to go home too. The private room was silent except for the hissing sounds from oxygen fed to the room's elderly patient. Get well cards filled the room. There were some taped to the walls and window frames. A large vase of flowers had been placed on his nightstand. A few family snapshots were scatted ar...

Chapter 6 A Beacon of Hope Kaye fought to keep the car on the snow covered road. The car's wipers made dragging sounds, as they ran over the bits of ice, the Jeeps frozen blades failed to do much. The wipers wore away at the sheet of melting ice. Bits of ice broke away from the main body slowly but left a wet sheen behind. The snow stuck to it, as they swiped across it, leaving it blurred, then clear, then blurred again....

There’s this bitch I know, and she’s not half as pretty or as smart as she thinks she is (you know the type). Every Friday at 8 am, I have to spend my time listening to her tell me about her greatest latest adventure, which usually is a stupid fucking waste of my time, and an invitation to doze for another hour.But not today. Today, like a blue moon or a shooting star or a once in a lifetime kind of miracle, she keeps my...

It was the twentieth anniversary of the First Frame, a bowling alley owned and operated by my dad's cousins.They were the first alley to have automatic pinsetters in the state and the first to expand and add more lanes and a pool room.They were the first bowling alley that offered top-of-the-line pinball and bowling machine games and a pro shop. I sort of grew up there as my dad worked on the machines as a part-time job....

Chapter 5 The Advocate Billy lay there not moving, the woman had pulled him up on her lap blocking him from the snowfall . Both dogs now were lying beside him, Bennie the smaller of the two Huskies was still whining from time to time sniffing the collie. Her soft voice and fingers relaxed the collie; it had been a long time since he had felt this sort of affection. Her name was Kaye Smith; she was in her late 20's, an imp...

Because what’s more cliché than the best friend? She’s unthinkable, untouchable until the December night she’s not. And you hate yourself for every second you spend with her, learning the curves of her body, but there’s almost nothing better than something so taboo even Hollywood has a hard time accepting it. And then one day it’s all you have left, the affair, and the best friend isn’t the girlfriend and you find yoursel...

Chapter FourThe Last Homey House The morning slowly turned into late afternoon. Billy's progress was slowing, his feet and shoulder throbbed. The pain in his side was unbearable. He had to stop often now. He needed to find shelter and soon. Evening was coming, the sun dropping in the sky, almost as fast as the temperature. There was no place for shelter here with no homes or sheds or barns. He sniffed the air looking then...

Chapter 3 Billy had traveled all day through fields, crossing busy highways down wood roads and was now trying to find a way across a river. He stopped there looking over his surroundings. He sat for a while took a quick drink then wandered back up the riverbank. Picking up a human scent, he followed it down a path that leads him to a crossroad. His coat was beginning to show signs of his off-roading. He was covered in mu...

This is a more-or-less faithful retelling of the great, “Where Were You?” controversy that occurred back in the fall of 1951. However, due warning is hereby given that being as how the story involves Louisiana politics, no claim is made, either explicit or implied, as to whether “more” or “less” predominates. It’s no secret that politics ranks second only to football as Louisiana’s favorite sport. This was especially true...

Billy chapter 2 Billy missed Tom's kind, soothing voice that made him feel safe. He dreamed of his pillow where he would lay between the table and stove. Tom would talk to him as he cooked, washed dishes or drank his coffee, as his read the paper at the table. Billy's food bowl and water were close to Tom's chair. He missed the warmth and the sounds of the fire in the cook stove and the meals, oh the meals. Toms cooking o...

The name ‘Big House’ had to do with the people who lived there allowing almost anyone to use it as a temporary shelter. Of course, preference was given to “heads” with dope or booze and to all females. The two-lane asphalt highway crawled with summer congestion. Once an especially slow, snake-like section skirting a picturesque bayou had been navigated, however, the white, travel-worn, 1959 Ford Galaxie 500 hit a straight...

Chapter oneThe December morning sun rose slowly over the town, lighting the tops of the buildings while bathing them in the morning soft yellow light. Traffic began to increase, the start of another busy weekend. Steam rising from the sewer grates huddled close to the ground as passing cars caused it to swirl and then settle down again. The plumes of exhaust from the home and factory chimneys were making their way up thro...

This is the story of a boy who loved too much and a girl who loved too little.Which sounds like the opposite of what it should be, because you already know the outcome; he cheats, she dies, he dies. But it is what it is, and I will do my best to tell you nothing but the cold hard facts without any lenses at all. Just the truth, I solemnly swear.I met Nathan when I was twelve and a half years old: I met Anastasia six month...

This had to be the place. It stood out like a cat being entered for crufts. The house was virtually covered in ivy, and the well maintained garden looked like it was to be entered at the Chelsea flower show, with a central water feature surrounded with white roses and expertly trimmed grass, as though it was the turf of a football pitch immediately prior to a cup final. Bill Norward got out of his fiesta and approached th...