Torsade Literary Space 
Story: Drownings (part six)
Drownings (part six) His partner freed a chair and began a conversation. “Ma’am, is Dennis available? Ah. I’ve only got a scribble on my paper…Dustin? Oh, likely not. Julia from Bitterroot. Well… Yes, do. Have him ring this number. Terrible.” The word an empathetic echo. Faia lowered her voice. […]
Story: Drownings (part five)
Drownings (part five) Mrs. Blaney, her hair in barrettes, and not one to rise from her chair, gave McAlley the downturned mouth of prior knowledge—the expectation this Mr. Swan would possess his share of it, and that there was little to be done. “There’s just been a call in, […]
Story: Drownings (part four)
Drownings (part four) Faia strode next to him, both aware of the woman’s complaint. “I swear to god! Me! I am not in this,” she was saying, and the tiny dink that followed was the card, binned. They descended to the water, cleared a gap baffled by rolls of […]
Story: Drownings (part three)
Drownings (part three) McAlley tested the integrity of the earth, found the river’s edge would hold, stooped a second time. The posture reminded him. “See this, Faia. ID, Bitterroot Cooperative. What sort of place, do you suppose?” “Hiking gear? Herbals…? Her guesses were bored. He could sense her chin […]
Story: Drownings (part two)
Drownings (part two) The bank along the riverwalk was reinforced with cemetery detritus, gravestones slabbed together. Thrusting from sludge you saw a brass orb or the planes of an obelisk, the very tip of a wing. It had been decided the dead must go, unentitled to occupy the city’s […]
Story: Drownings (part one)
Drownings (part one) While the world was buying nothing, and working at nothing, the city underwent its heart-rot. Apartment houses ceased to cohere. Not in respect of fellowship, the residents still and always pleased to avoid each other. But the bricks and beams themselves, consequent to a spiraling, so […]
Be a Helper (part nine)
Be A Helper (part nine) Of uncompensated labors, of “getting of their own back”. He slipped from the covers. The tower was the place to sit and gaze, in moonlit gloom at his hills. He climbed the stairs, tiptoed through Bunting and Finch’s province, paused to frown […]
Be a Helper (part eight)
Be A Helper (part eight) “Whimbrel made it a muffin recipe.” “And why, Finch, have we not had muffins?” “Because, ma’am,” Whimbrel answered. “I don’t know what a currant is. Magic made the recipe.” “For all intents and purposes, a currant is a raisin,” said Melchior. “But […]
Story: Be a Helper (part seven)
Be A Helper (part seven) Langham plied his fork in silence. Bede, too, thinking Langham deserved the sprites unfettered, and might just get them… He calmed himself over ginger cake. There was Mrs. Langham to consider, whose husband thought her not worth bringing along, nor asking what […]
Story: Be a Helper (part six)
Be A Helper (part six) Bede was alone with Langham. Langham opened: “Surprised all this fancywork hasn’t got the rot.” Jorinda’s voice came, before Bede could think of a way to slip disagreement past Langham’s suspicious ear. “Help when you’re asked, Whimbrel. With hands and feet, mind.” […]