A little taste of home

Sometimes we could have onions. They were crisp and sweet, their sharpness cooled with dill or curds. Sometimes we could have cucumbers. Those were my favorite. Like a slice of water on the tongue. Thinking of it makes me thirsty. Some people say they can’t remember the taste of fruit, or the smell of rain,Continue reading “A little taste of home”

Kaspar/Casper

Some people have asked me why I named my main character “Casper.” Even my dad, who liked the novel, was curious about two Midwestern evangelicals choosing such a name for their son, a name which most any American will immediately associate with a certain friendly ghost. Admittedly, there have been moments that I’ve been embarrassedContinue reading “Kaspar/Casper”

Part 2, Chapter 13 // Though I Make My Bed In Sheol

 The Honey Slope Golf Club was not perfect, but it was cheap and it would probably be available.  The dining room had been updated sometime in the mid-nineties and the facility boasted fully carpeted bathrooms.  He set his computer on Abby’s lap and rubbed his head, which had been throbbing all day.       Continue reading “Part 2, Chapter 13 // Though I Make My Bed In Sheol”

Part 2, Chapter 12 // Though I Make My Bed In Sheol

Duplo City had developed to a concerning level of urban sprawl.  Even if he had owned any other furniture, it wouldn’t have fit.  But rather than becoming more uniform, the city was growing in diversity.  Besides Duplos, other building media were now being utilized, including a Lincoln Log church, a Mega Block hotel, a LegoContinue reading “Part 2, Chapter 12 // Though I Make My Bed In Sheol”

Part 2, Chapter 11 // Though I Make My Bed In Sheol

Without a word, he raced to the kitchen and pulled the pan off the heat, Joule still squirming on his hip.  Finally he released him, then wiped out the pungent, smoking butter with a paper towel and set the pan on the stove again.  Trembling, he dropped the remaining half stick in the pot andContinue reading “Part 2, Chapter 11 // Though I Make My Bed In Sheol”

Part 2, Chapter 10 // Though I Make My Bed In Sheol

Nick had asked him how someone so smart could do something so stupid.     He knew he was supposed to let the puppy out every hour for the first few weeks, but even when his phone alerted him, he would turn off the ringer and work for another two or three minutes.  Thirty minutesContinue reading “Part 2, Chapter 10 // Though I Make My Bed In Sheol”

Part 2, Chapter 9 // Though I Make My Bed In Sheol

He waited a few weeks to tell them, but his family were unfazed when he told them of the development in his personal life, as if it had been an open fact to everyone else but the two of them.  The only perceivable changes were the occasional, though polite, shows of affection, and the increasedContinue reading “Part 2, Chapter 9 // Though I Make My Bed In Sheol”

Part 2, Chapter 8 // Though I Make My Bed In Sheol

It wasn’t bad.  Maybe it was, actually.  It was hard to tell from the photos.  With all of the furniture cleared out of the rooms and the daylight pouring in through the windows on to the white-ish carpet, it almost appeared promising.  Mindy Klugman had artfully captured the back lot in a way which maximizedContinue reading “Part 2, Chapter 8 // Though I Make My Bed In Sheol”

Part 2, Chapter 7 // Though I Make My Bed In Sheol

 Pastor Bruce and the four elders were with him on platform, beaming. The poinsettias on the steps of the platform stood tall with their red faces lifted toward the frigid  blueness streaming through the sanctuary skylight.  He felt like he was graduating again, but for some reason it felt more like kindergarten than university.  EvenContinue reading “Part 2, Chapter 7 // Though I Make My Bed In Sheol”