Connections

Kaia's nimble fingers wove the complex knot in the strong rope. She finished with tying on a bight with an overhand loop and dressed the knot. The knotter next to her slid her working end into Kaia's loop, finished the knot, and dressed it. Kaia looked up, and all along the line the knotters were … Continue reading Connections

Take it Back

"Let go!" I said. Pat did not. She kept pulling on my lab notebook. "I just want to see what you got for the density." We had a few minutes before 8th grade science class started, and Mr. Bohr was on hall duty until then. Every period it was something with her. She sat in … Continue reading Take it Back

May 28, 1977

Rose checked the cake on the rack and found that it was completely cool. Perfect. She arranged her tools on the kitchen table and gathered her dyes and powders and candies. The frosting was the right temperature and consistency. She brought the cake to her work area. The first step was always the icing on … Continue reading May 28, 1977

Status Report

“How are you?” Rick said. “And don’t say ‘surviving’.” Dana looked at her long-time friend’s face, with raised eyebrows, wide eyes, and pursed lips. He cared. She scanned the crowd at Coffee Beans Et Alia. It was a busy day and there were a lot of people to scan. “Dana?” “It’s not easy to talk … Continue reading Status Report

The Principles of Trees

The sun was weak, and a frigid wind blew across a tree branch that was an ulna without ligaments set obliquely across another tree. When the axes came, the trees adjusted their circulation to avoid the checklist of cuts. Alas, a lone survivor was helpless against the guilt of uncut bark and could not forget … Continue reading The Principles of Trees