The Tambinder Engine (part ten)
The Tambinder Engine A McAlley Story (part ten) If it needed driving into town, this new tedium, Deenie felt willing to spy, to troll the apartment house Railsback said was Mick’s. A tan brick two-story. Outside stairs. She pulled to a light, shifted her mirror, a move no one could […]
All Bedlam Courses Past (part fifty-six)
All Bedlam Courses Past Chapter Three An Object in Motion (part fifty-six) Gilbert had written to marvel artlessly over the dull enigma of Guiteau. He is Americanized, does it seem? What we hear in France is that he is a communist, of the free-love […]
The Tambinder Engine (part nine)
The Tambinder Engine A McAlley Story (part nine) “He’s a little like Dustin, that’s how I feel, reading him. Grand schemes, wanting to be discovered, admired. Like a genius, like a vault with money inside…safe.” She laughed at the unmeant pun, nervous. “What a jumble I just said!” “You haven’t […]
The Tambinder Engine (part eight)
The Tambinder Engine A McAlley Story (part eight) “She was alone the day she came to his house, and he’s not believing about the boyfriend. Been cautious, Lynn, hair tidied back, dress a little old-fashioned…tucked shirt, khakis, shooting vest. Penitent. Ready to do her part in the stables.” “Welcome to […]
The Enemy (part three)
The Enemy (part three) Weapon of choice, was Palma’s thought. What is small and quick? A plummet, on the other hand, had virtues, quickness among them. The engineering of a plummet might be small…a distraction, a taped switch forcing an alarm to sound, a slippery floor. She saw the court […]
The Tambinder Engine (part seven)
The Tambinder Engine A McAlley Story (part seven) She woke next morning, and would have wondered at the raw throat, the ill feeling… But her bedroom air was hazy with smoke. Kitten Bobbo’s claws tickled her ankle as she toed below the spread for slippers. As often, in these days […]
The Tambinder Engine (part six)
The Tambinder Engine A McAlley Story (part six) She passed Matthew’s picture window and stopped, saw a couple at the bottom of the drive. The woman’s hair, hanging long and coarse, ash blonde, her young face furrowed, mouth and brow. She scowled, and the furrows came strong. The man, wind […]
Fellyans (conclusion)
Fellyans (part eight) “Who is having lunch, by now?” Jorinda said. “Is it only us?” “The elf said he wouldn’t.” “And Coral? If Alma were here, I’d be curious to know,” she raised her voice, “why the kitchen is empty, and the stew seems vanished, and my good copper kettle…” With […]
The Tambinder Engine (part five)
The Tambinder Engine A McAlley Story (part five) Dear Victor I am not a scientific person, but I believe I understand some of what you’ve kindly explained. You envision—or your ancestor, I ought to say, envisioned—a spiral chamber to capture the energy of the tides and accelerate the displacement […]

Heckler (conclusion)
Heckler (part three) “So like, my credit hour cost was two-hundred something, toss in fees, round it up… Say the minimum wage goes to fifteen, say I work a shift and a half at Starbucks, I earn back one hour at state. Or maybe not, I’m an English Lit dropout, […]