Story Excerpts

Among the Long Shadows
by Vicki Weisfeld

Hector’s grumbling came through his closed front door loud and clear before he even flipped on the porch light. “Why so early, Bree?”

“Oooh. I see you missed your beauty sleep,” I said. Hector hoisted his bag of camera equipment over a shoulder as we headed to my car, parked at the curb, engine running.

“It’s still dark, woman,” he huffed.

I popped the trunk, and he stashed the gear. READ MORE

 

Safe at Home
by Irette Y. Patterson

I still thought of the neighborhood I grew up in as safe. I mean, of course, doing my first cursory review before heading back home gave me a clue of what to expect. The housing app I downloaded outlined the ranking of Ruby Gate Elementary School, the school I spent seven years walking to and from.

Back then the county was testing a new concept—placing elementary schools in neighborhoods. So, there I was, pigtailed with glasses in Wonder Woman brown to match the book bag slung across my body, the bag bumping against my thigh as I rushed to make it in time before the opening bell. READ MORE