Alec Feather

When I was twelve years old, I chased a blue skink. The small reptile dashed beneath a heavy stone to avoid capture. This activity was mere sport for me; I payed little thought to the possible consequences of my carelessness. I pitched the stone backward to reveal my quarry but was surprised by its weight and found myself unable to hold it. Instead, it rocked back into place as I fell on my butt. With a sense of dread, I knelt down to lift the heavy stone with both hands. Red and blue organs sp...

David haggled at the Waymart return station with a heavyset middle-manager named Milton. Milton wore a yellow pinstriped dress shirt and aviator glasses. David thought that he smelled rather like a musky ferret. The ferret analogy came easily to David because he was irritated. Milton was refusing to replace the defective microwave oven David wanted to return. David had forgotten his receipt. Their argument grew heated. David released Kaden, his five-year-old son. Kaden bolted. His fraying blue ...