Glimmer Train Stories, #72

Literary short stories by established and emerging writers.Excerpts: John S. Walker Among the Least of These She was the kind that would hang on, who had the faith of a mustard seed, but brimmed with a severe hope. His father, the pastor of a congregation of Swedish Presbyterians, had spent hours at her bedside when they believed the fever was finally going to take her. Shimon Tanaka The Suit He had seen much of America--it was all an adventure--but the reigning irony seemed to be the way his world had shrunk down to where his life mostly consisted of his part-time job in the dining hall and the desk in his room. Michael L. Guerra Plush This is the kind of intimate detail my father has shared with me over the years. Instead of telling me about his life, he tells me about the people he has encountered along the way. Patrick Hicks 57 Gatwick It started when the family of seat 18G wanted to know who sat in 18F. They wanted to send a sympathy card, which turned into a three-page letter, which turned into a phone call. Kim Brooks The Houseguest Auer had tried to explain to her that there were things more important in life than a well-set table and sated babies warm in their beds, but it was 1938, and these were difficult arguments to make. Rikki Clark The Widower Garden Irma and Orly moved into their house when Orly got work at the forge down the block. Even now, you can hear the rhythm of the hydraulic press ironing out the steel at the forge, and all seems right with the world. Sean Padraic McCarthy Preservation Aidan hated leaving her there, seeing her face, pleading with him as he made his way to the door--Judas--but he didn t know what else to do; it was the only daycare even close to working within his budget. Lisa Graley Vandalism There comes a time when you want only to sit on your porch, he told Glenn Turley. You want to think over things you've done or haven't done--not things you're planning to do. Andrew Thomas Scott A Shell of Blue Luminosity Mr. Patel leaned down and said, "Daniel Megargel, we are very sorry for you." From beside him, Mrs. Patel said, "And for Angie." They left the car and walked back toward the office; they kept in step and close together, their shoulders touching. Terrence Cheng The Boy His father was always looking for the next best thing, even though he had worked at the same restaurant ever since he could remember. Barry Unsworth Interview by Kevin Rabalais Joseph Conrad had a wonderful sense of the scene, in which physical environment and the dramatic moment and the actual visual experience all fuse together into a wonderful, memorable scene that lives with you forever.