In 1949 an Italian airliner going from Alexandria to Rome delayed itself an hour over the Ionian Sea west of Greece. The copilot took Alitalia’s newly acquired DC-4 down in a flat spiral, circling ancient Mount Aenos, while the captain went back to assess a passenger situation. The young radioman tapped his Morse key to [...]
Oct
Sep
Mike Visits
A mother knows her children and Momma MacKay knew Larry. Though it wasn’t his night to do dishes, Larry traded with his brother, so she knew he wanted some time alone with her. Of all her boys, Larry was the one that most needed to talk, but the one that was the least forthcoming. A [...]
Oct
Mr. Johnston Arrives
Atmar Johnston checked himself into the Waco Veterans’ hospital in September, 1964 to get sober. He’d done this before after spending months poisoning himself good and proper with numerous gallons of cheap hooch. Eighteen years, off and on, of hard drinking had left Atmar with a fibrotic liver and dropsy in his gut. The VA [...]
Nov
The Hundred Years Woman
Michael’s head came up out of the book he had started that morning. “What?” he asked the old Indian woman. “Did you say pourquoi?”
“Poor-qua,” she nodded. “The story of the people, and when God made us. You know the poor-qua?”
“No.” Mike shook his head and closed his book, a finger marking the page. He didn’t [...]