Bow Down to Her on Sunday: And other stories

Bow Down to Her on Sunday: And other stories

Ten literary short stories for readers who still value the art form. With Fergus Does God have a sense of humor? A trip to the dentist makes aging Devin Fergus feel vulnerable. A diagnosis of a fractured molar soon stirs up reflections on his life and mortality. The molar will require a root canal by someone called an endodontist. Horizontal and drugged up in the endodontist's chair, Fergus finds himself hanging on against the seductive pull to slip to the other side. Bow Down to Her on Sunday Rita's life changes when famous artist Mora temporarily moves into the trailer next door. Mora is everything Rita isn't. People love, worship and adore Mora almost instantly. Plus, Mora earns a lot of money from painting squiggly lines and strange shapes. Rita drives a school bus. Rita calls herself broken glass in a UPS box. Her life has been endless mistakes and bad choices. Mora renewed her lease the first year. Will she again? No Wolf Behind Grad school film students Evan and Richard are more rivals than friends. Richard is envious of Evan's talent. Evan is a budding film architect, an auteur. Richard is a mason. He doesn't understand art, has never felt that true spark of inspiration and still lacks a concept for his capstone film project. The two meet for coffee. Will Richard fail or will he discover the long overdue topic he needs to graduate? Brummycham Bowline Severed. Terminated. Laid off. Kicked to the curb. Franklin Schooner is fired after 32 years with a billion-dollar software company. Nancy from HR shows up to escort his exit. It’s a long, inglorious descent from the tenth floor to street level, where his wife awaits to drive him home in their white whale of an SUV. Jesus Dropped the Charges Why does 94-year-old Lilah need to dip her toes in the Gulf of Mexico before she passes? Everett doesn't understand but trusts girlfriend Jeanne, who might be a reincarnated sainte. Everett “borrows” the church van so they can bring Lilah to her childhood home on the Florida coast. Then they’ll shoot back up to Indiana before Pastor Ralph suspects something. Beneath the Ice After years in a wilderness of addiction, his baby brother returns for the sixth and final visit to the rehab clinic. The eldest welcomes him home, writes the check, sets him up, while all other siblings have given up. How many times can one brother forgive another? How many times should he welcome him home? When Max Had Nuts At the animal shelter, Max is an 8-year-old purebred boxer trained and raised to kill. He’s been on death row almost a year and will be put down in two days. Rico needs a dog. Heather at the shelter is surprised and impressed that surly Max takes a shine to Rico. Can Rico rescue Max before the clock runs out? The Witchery of Paltry Things Forrester and Helen Bridger reluctantly attend the funeral of a former friend taken too young by a brain tumor. In the candid homily, the priest describes the overly self-righteous Johann as DIFFICULT and hard to like—even before he got sick. The Bridgers are there for Charlene, the much-abused but noble ex-wife still willing to represent the family. It's complicated. There's much to sort. Sentido Edison Holm fell from a 30-foot tree at 9 years old. No wonder he has a paralyzing fear of heights. But he needs to scale an extension ladder to finish a home painting project. His wife told him to wait until she returns from errands. But a friend has booked a noon tee time at the local golf course. Edison grabs the paint can and ascends. Brother Fox In the Old Forest, the wolves are sick, starving and dying. The Fox arrives with a great gift. But no one trusts a fox. Should the Wolf? “This gift will feed your family,” the Fox tells the Wolf. “You will never have to hunt again.” The She-Wolf is skeptical. But the Fox is cunning. The Wolf listens.