Tag: literature

You probably know the name of the man who shot Lincoln. You may even know the gunman was a famous actor in his day, a southern sympathizer, and an ardent partisan. But, do you know the truly outlandish story behind the man who shot and killed the 16th President’s assassin?

Thick plumes of smoke billowed high into the air, escaping the heavy fog settled on the ground, fueled by a combustible mixture of kerosene, dry-rotted wood, and huge stocks of tobacco leaves, previously hung high above the floor from old frayed hemp rope. 

The structure engulfed by the raging fire … Continue reading...

I saw a pedestrian cross a busy intersection the other day. 

On my way to pick my son up from school, I stopped at a red light at a busy intersection. On the southeast corner, to my right stood a man, no more than about 5 ft 7 in tall, dressed in a muted orange shirt and long black khaki pants, about his mid-fifties, judging from the characteristics of his face. 

He held a reusable shopping bag and lottery tickets in his right hand, using his left to push the crosswalk button. (I only noticed this detail because he would … Continue reading...

A troubled, deeply unfulfilled yet very successful middle-aged corporate executive, who was brought up in a wealthy but highly dysfunctional household, is given a remarkable chance to change his life; and after accepting the exceptionally rare offer, experiences an outcome that is utterly unimaginable…

Theodore begrudgingly woke to an intense ray of sunlight, piercing through a slim gap in the otherwise tightly closed window blinds of his corner office suite. Weirdly contorted on a couch meant for clients, vendors, and visitors, he could barely draw focus on the coffee table – littered with empty liquor bottles – merely an arm’s … Continue reading...

A dead battery meant being late for work this morning, and now, a flat tire in the parking lot at lunch, with an in-person client meeting in less than 30 minutes. Needless to say, the day wasn’t going well, and to make it worse, there wasn’t a spare either. Time to catch a ride share to try and make it on time or, run out of time waiting for a tow truck and wasting a lot of time at the nearest auto repair shop. So, only one real option.

Making it to the meeting with just minutes to spare, sheer … Continue reading...

The end had already begun.

By this time, the young couple’s parting was inevitable; and to prove it, it had been more than a week since he and she had seen each other in person – something unthinkable just months earlier. 

Still, it was only hours since they had last spoken on the phone – a strange new dynamic that had become quite common during the past few weeks. But also, very different from before their relationship changed subtly yet undeniably. Prior to this unforeseen change, they spent every day together. Now, maybe once or twice a month at the … Continue reading...

Abandoned by his mother only a few months after his birth, Taft had to rely solely on his dysfunctional dad. A man who always kept his word but could be very cruel at times. By the age of fourteen, the teenage boy knew what he wanted to do in life. So, he carefully laid out a plan: graduate at the top of his class, earn a degree in finance, and join a prestigious firm. But, one obstacle would be extremely difficult to overcome – the continued presence of his ne’er-do-well, alcoholic father. Thankfully, his dad’s many years of harvesting in … Continue reading...

A small western town is harboring an awful secret. It’s supposed to be a short stop along the way for former outlaw Brody Ray Byrne, who is determined to start anew. But fate has different plans for the wayward Irish immigrant…

“Devil’s Bliss,” was the disturbing name etched into the wooden sign Brody Ray Byrne passed riding into the isolated town. Conspicuous by its absence was the customary “Welcome” greeting. Even more curious, no population count. Such oddities actually managed to give the former outlaw a foreboding, eerie feeling – like he was willingly entering a haunted place that no … Continue reading...

In the summer of 1916, the first world war raged in Europe and although the United States stayed officially neutral, a powerful blast equaling a 5.5 magnitude earthquake erupted in New York Harbor in the dead of night, shaking nearly every civilian in a 90-mile radius awake, some of whom were violently thrown from their beds, while the Brooklyn Bridge shuddered wildly from the enormous shockwave…

Thick, calcine smoke consumed the post-midnight air, further obfuscating any light not already engulfed by the pitch darkness, be it street lamps or the moon. Under a veil of widespread confusion and chaos, spreading … Continue reading...

A young boy experiences his very first deep-sea fishing adventure with his father on their brand-new center console boat. But his giddy excitement turns to sheer panic when dangerous elements intrude on their lively, memory-making excursion…

Laddie could barely sleep that night. His mind was full of visions of the open ocean under a bright sunny sky. He could hear his parents talking softly in the next room and just knew that they were discussing tomorrow’s schedule. A game plan he knew very well by now. It would be the first day he put all of his preparation into practice. … Continue reading...