Without a Paddle

…was a lovely panorama, Dolores thought, her mind turning as peacefully as did her kayak. Here she saw the nearby woods, its autumnal scarlets and ochres mirrored in the millpond, the white birch trunks making wiggly stripes in the dark water. In a moment, a current or breeze caught the bow, pivoting her view to the far meadow and hillside of golden grasses, then the dam. Below, the stream…

By Don Noel

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The Runner

Every person has that one thing they love to do. For Oliver that is running. He would run everywhere and then one day he ceased to run at all. Maybe the artist will know why.

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…euphoric happiness of freedom he felt whilst running. He’d run the four miles to work his shift as a bartender and run home too. On his day off, he’d jog to the beach and dash through the breaking waves, a blissful smile on his face. Oliver never trained to be a sprinter; it was the distance he…

By Mason Bushell

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Stains

…look at that picture – I can still smell the starch. That uniform was so stiff, if I turned this way or that, I would go this way and it would go that. Lord, Jesus. Hmm. My sister Ardella took it. My first day on the floor at People's General. She said, “Corrine, you look like an angel sent to save the world.” I believe I believed her too. Look at me. So proud. So…

By Shawn Cassidy

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Independence

…he stands with the ease of one who spends his work days standing in classrooms. Because a resident of the capital, he’s one of the few who can keep doing his day job at least part-time. He shrugged into his plaid sports jacket as he left school this noon, having met with four classes before yielding to a substitute, and arrived just as the session was gaveled to…

By Don Noel

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It's All Relative

Workplace Politics often find their own resolution.

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…heads turned toward the suddenly thrust forefinger pointing at the ceiling. The wide-eyed face with slightly gaping mouth alerted the gathering a conclusion existed. The period of mentation lasted only momentarily before Camilla…

By Robert L. Scarry

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