1943: The Memphis Belle

1943: The Memphis Belle

The sun was hot on the back of her hands as Betsy Teague pushed her 9-month-old daughter in a pram in the city square by the Vance Monument. A wide brimmed hat kept her face shaded in the midsummer heat. Her 6-year-old son Paul was beside her, hoping for a hot dog...
1976: A Monkey’s Uncle

1976: A Monkey’s Uncle

“Should I take a nicer dress?” Melissa Duncan checked herself in the mirror and frowned. She worried about her weight, her hair, her shoes. The next day, at a reunion in Asheville, she was going to meet Michael’s larger family for the first time. She wanted to please...
1928: The Doll Sanatorium, part 2

1928: The Doll Sanatorium, part 2

Chapter II: The Dry Ridge Diviner According to Catesby’s mama, the Dry Ridge Diviner was a sorry old vamp. She was that, and she was other, less mentionable things. It was true the diviner wore so much face powder it was hard to tell her age, though she kept her head...
2023: The Pumpkin Shell

2023: The Pumpkin Shell

i. FIRST CRESCENT It was Marin who signed for the certified letter. The owner of the house had died and the family would be selling it so the estate could be divided evenly between the owner’s four children. Marin and their housemates had until the end of the month to...
2016: True Love Says Goodbye

2016: True Love Says Goodbye

        “We should still be friends.” Sharon waited by the window with her arms crossed. Outside there was a lineup on the street for the next show at the Orange Peel. She studied them with a frown. Her bag was packed by the door,...
1975: Hogan’s Watch Repair Shop

1975: Hogan’s Watch Repair Shop

Hank Garland made his way to the corner of College and Lexington. The building had a painted sign on the window: Hogan’s Watch Repair. But it was almost impossible to read for all the things piled up against the glass on the inside. Old chairs, dusty books, a pair of...