Carey Kight

Hide & Seek

Illustrated by Lakshmy Mathur

The little girl sits on the stoop, waiting and wondering. Will he want to play? Can we run? Can we hide? Will he seek me? She adjusts her little pink backpack. It’s heavy. There’s so much to bring and so much to do. She looks up at her mom, hoping this isn’t one of those times. The sun sets, …

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Skype Credit

Illustrated by Michael Ilkiw

I hung up the phone and cried. Hard. He called me from Malaysia this time. I never know how he reaches me. The calls are always from an unknown number. Thanks to him I’ve had to talk to a lot of telemarketers over the years. Fucker. It’s hard to explain to my daughters why I cry so …

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Ordinary Moments

Illustrated by Michael Ilkiw

Nigel was daydreaming. He watched mother and child quietly from his car parked outside of the dingy motel. The first light of dawn met the frost on the window and created an otherworldly glow. The woman seemed so content, so in love with her child. Nigel took a bite from his breakfast sandwich. It didn’t taste particularly …

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Clockwork

Illustrated by Myfanwy Kinder

“Damnit, Marge. You’ve burned dinner for the last time.” Like clockwork, Earl says it but it’s never true. Every night I burn my husband’s dinner and pray to God he’s learned to take a hint. But every night his drunken ass stumbles back for more. “Sit down and shut up, you old fool,” I say. I drop the plate …

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