The Clown

She enters an antiques store and wants to buy a painting of a clown. The old proprietor reveals why she can't buy it.

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…started looking at the walls. She had enough furniture, but she needed something on the walls of her apartment in downtown Ashleyville, Ohio. She walked to the rear of the small, crowded store and…

By Anita G. Gorman

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Magdalena Raises Her Hand

Magdalena has always been ignored…

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…was not sure when she realized that no one paid much attention to her. Was it in elementary school, when she would raise her hand constantly to answer the teacher's questions? Her arm would ache from shaking it, but Mrs. Alexander, her third grade teacher, would rarely call…

By Anita G. Gorman

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A Command from the Dying

Irene's mother issues a…

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…Irene's mother was dying, she established some rules. "Irene, when I die, you will of course bury me in the Ashleyville Cemetery. You will visit every day. I know you will. You're a good daughter, though I can't say you always have been very good. Why you married that guy, I have no idea. At least the two of you produced a cute…

By Anita G. Gorman

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Malcolm's Murder Plot

While on a motor trip, Malcolm comes up with what he thinks is a foolproof way to kill his wife.

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…had wanted to kill his wife for a long time, but only recently had Malcolm figured out the best way to do it. Poison? No, too detectable. Ditto for guns, knives, baseball bats, or a tumble down the basement stairs. In the movies the cops always figured these things out. No, Malcolm needed another method, one…

By Anita G. Gorman

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Always Bennie

Janice had a serious crush on Bennie in high school. She has never forgotten him. They meet again at their 20th high-school reunion.

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…was always Bennie in high school. Bennie was handsome, smart, a star athlete, popular with everyone, and Janice loved him, or thought she loved him. At least she had a crush on him, and that must be the same as love, or so she decided when she was sixteen and a…

By Anita G. Gorman

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