The Last Key Mara's fingers shook while she clutched the ancient brass key. It had remained hidden in her grandmother’s attic for years, encased in aged newspaper. All insisted it was pointless—merely a relic—but this evening it throbbed with an unusual heat. The door at the hallway's end was always secured. As a child, she had walked by it countless times, envisioning incredible worlds beyond. Now, by herself in the faint light, she inserted the key into the lock. It regist

Making the Sale Portfolio Report (abridged): Ins Market AI-gent 314 Subject: 64-77831 T R Bismuth   Attempt 5: AI-gent sent fifth e-mail solicitation. Result:  Msg auto-trash.   Attempt 24: AI-gent sent cold-call package containing policy proposal with chocolate candies, consistent with orders rec by subject from online vendor. Package observed unopened in refuse container via cam on sanitation vehicle. High volume empty alcohol packaging observed. AI-gent escalated: accessed

FOXY Nolan sat down with the ten manuscripts that had made the short list for the literary fiction contest.  Literary criticism was his forte. Stories overly reliant on  dialogue, like this one on top of the pile, were destined for the "circular file." English graduates often had a hard time finding employment in their field, but Nolan was the proud exception. He’d been chosen for the one teaching position available in the department.   “I wanted a man, to show that Literatur

I could still feel the sting in my cheek as I slowly wiped off the blood at the corner of my mouth with my sleeve. Patricia and her group just never have enough.      Walking on my last fragment of pride, I made my way through the library entrance. Even the librarian couldn't help but cast a look of pity. Turns out that's all you can do in situations you can't control look away in conscientious defeat.      Ignoring that, I got to the literary section to do the usuals, a piec

A Thousand Apples in a Bowl It was shortly after the meeting with Dr Kramer that I made up my mind. It was a good plan and I would do it. Dr Kramer had been very positive if not actually inspirational but the nuts and bolts of the plan had been mine. I mean, the vision and the process of how I would make this thing work: how I would draw or paint, a thousand apples in a bowl. Now I’m being slightly disingenuous and you’re being over-literal. No, not actually one thousand sepa

THE RING A ring sat, discarded, on someone’s bedside table. They had found it in a thrift shop. The silver had tarnished and the inscription was unclear. The owner never knew what it had said. The ring used to be worn by a girl, years ago. She wore it on her thumb, spinning it as she went about her day. On it were the numbers ‘ 1942 ’. They probably meant something to the previous owner. Before her, the owner was a man with brown eyes that constantly scanned important work do

No Angels Involved The tenant in the last rent controlled apartment in the building was Miss Elizabeth, a 98 year old widow and retired social worker. My boss said I had to do something I really didn’t want to do. He said If you turn a few levers on the oven one way instead of another, the carbon dioxide goes in and not out. She wouldn’t last long. It wouldn’t hurt her.   Have I done some not so wonderful things? Yes, I’m not proud of everything I have done, but you do what y

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