Calvin peered through his telescope, and a pale child stared back. He swallowed a scream and recoiled, hand trembling as he drew in sharp, shallow breaths. He glanced out the window in case his grandson was lingering, but the yard was empty. Of course it was; Calvin had walked Albert home hours ago. The steady thwap of Patricia’s house shoes alerted him that she was coming. He reached for his brandy and jumped as his shadow stretched in the lamplight….
Ethel regretted her lunch invitation to Edgar. It had been her good deed for the day, since the man looked half-starved. She thought a warm meal would be welcome. Which it might be, but there seemed to be a communication problem. During her brief chats at the mailbox with him, she’d never noticed a hearing issue, but today he either didn’t respond when she spoke or completely misunderstood her. “Branch?” Edgar frowned. “Why would I want a branch with my…
Sandra finished loading the dishwasher amidst the morning chaos. Peter was playing the piano, while seven-year-old Cas attempted to play the recorder. The combination made Sandra shudder. She mentally ran through her to-do list as she pulled dinner out of the freezer, pausing for a quick glance at the calendar. “Cas, grab your library book.” She put the frozen casserole on top of the stove to defrost and poured herself a cup of coffee, wondering if she had time to…
Conrad rested his palm against the cool, smooth granite. The wind kicked up stray leaves as the barren branches swayed. He closed his eyes against the incoming rain. He didn’t need to read the words or dates since he already knew them by heart. Instead, he let his mind drift to memories of the first time they’d met. He’d been wholly unprepared standing in the sterile hospital room. Medical staff raced about, shouting in a language of their own. Then…