Author: Karl — Fiction Writer

Part 1: The Reading “Take your time,” Caleb said. “I’m not going anywhere.” Bernice Kessler stared at the sentence in front of her. She knew every word. That was the …

The Last Chapter Read More

Part 1: The Gift “Put that down, please,” I barked, my voice much rougher than I intended. The boy flinched, immediately snatching his small hands away from the faded cardboard …

The Lone Star Express Read More

Part 1: The Return “He bit my husband again,” the woman said, shoving the plastic travel crate across our front desk. “We just can’t do it. I’m sorry.” She didn’t …

The Dog Everyone Returned Read More

Part 1: The Insult The fluorescent lights in the hallway of our small Wisconsin hospital always had a low, steady hum at two in the morning. It was a sound …

The Night Shift Read More

Part 1: The Neighbor My father stood on our porch in rural Colorado, wiping sawdust from his forehead with the back of a calloused hand. He stared across the gravel …

The Ramp Read More

Part 1: The Passenger I’m Calloway, 45, and in my twenty years as a flight attendant, I never thought a tiny, scarred black cat in seat 14B would completely shatter …

The Cat in 14B Read More

Part 1: The Accent and the Anger The fluorescent lights in Exam Room 3 always seemed a little too bright on Monday mornings. I adjusted my navy blue scrubs, grabbed …

The Duct Tape Shoes Read More

Part 1: The Layoff When the Oregon sawmill where he worked for 32 years finally shut its doors, Earl Jenkins handed over his hard hat, walked out to his rusted …

The Sawdust Trail Read More

Part 1: The Inefficiency The first time Principal Mara Ellison saw Mr. Gabe sitting on the hallway floor, she thought he had fallen. He was seventy-one, maybe older, with one …

The Mop Bucket Read More

Part 1: The Call The metal folding chairs in the chapel were completely empty when the county transport van pulled up to the back door. It was a drizzly Tuesday …

The Flag Read More