A boy helps his father with a job. They walk under a shelter where people cry, laugh, hug, and pray near votives. They find a corner dark and quiet, and as rain lets up, Merwin flips over the signs and writes his phone number and HANDYMAN FOR HIRE. He bites off pieces of tape andContinue reading ““Brella Fella” – Substack”

A woman faces her fear while photographing the Outer Banks. She steps inside the door cut into the lighthouse’s red base and slides over for visitors stepping off or onto the staircase spiraling up toward the keeper’s quarters and beacon. A ranger notes the one-million bricks used for building the lighthouse, summer temperatures inside canContinue reading ““Daymark” – Substack”

After success at work, a man’s stress outlet accelerates. Heart racing, he sinks under his desk, but halfway down, he tightens after he bumps his mouse and his laptop glows on. When no one walks by and the screen sleeps again, he pulls papers from his trash basket and digs out his lighter. He clicksContinue reading ““Punk” – Substack”

Before continuing down the hall, Becker slows his cart past the dining room and signals Outside to Von sitting at the back. Von nods, smoothes his toupee—black, a swoop of shine in the middle, and stacked high like a microphone waiting for God—and, patting his chest, raises his hand; he grumbles but stops himself from faking chestContinue reading ““Cornerstone” – Substack”