Tag: the Fragments
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Dying in Whitmore Lake
14 November, 2016 — Ann Arbor and Whitmore Lake, Michigan Jesus walks among the multitude, but they do not see him. The people are eating and drinking, working and resting, marrying and getting divorced. Jesus carries with him a basket and a pitcher, and he stops occasionally before one or another. Then that person sets…
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Super 8
13 November, 2016 — Mendota, Illinois Calming himself, Mike Marek walks out of the restroom, looks at a map, and discovers with some surprise that he is in Illinois. “Mendota” is such a familiar place-name that he almost felt that he had returned home. But in Wisconsin it’s a lake. Here it’s a town, and…
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the Glittering Thing
1 January, 2017 — US Foreign Command Support Facility, Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory Even on the first day of a new year, even at 1:30 at night, it is still hot on Diego Garcia. Eighty degrees and eighty percent humidity, and the AC is set so warm to save power that it might…
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Traveling
13 November, 2016 — Illinois A car horn blaring right next to him wakes Mike Marek up. That is distressing in itself. Much more distressing is the fact that he comes awake at the wheel of his car, doing seventy miles an hour on a highway he does not recognize. Terrified, he tightens his unexpected…
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Why are you here?
Sunday, 13 November, 2016 — Sun Prarie, Wisconsin “Nation will rise against nation,” the priest reads to his diminutive congregation, “and kingdom against kingdom. “There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.” Their attention is riveted, as Father Mike knew…
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Pensio
6 November, 2016 — Whitmore Lake, Michigan A branch, unnoticed in the darkness, scratches Felicia’s face. It forces her to take a step sideways, where her foot lands on a tussock and slips off, nearly making her stumble. The pain on her cheek brings her back to something like what she would have regarded, only…
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The Last Leg
November, 2016 — Jackson, Michigan It’s only eight-thirty in the morning by the time Felicia reaches Jackson, Michigan which, her new mind tells her, will be the last convenient place to stop. The car’s tank is nearly empty, so she looks for fuel first. It takes several tries to find a place with gas, and…
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Everest
November, 2016 — Chicago, Illinois “So, let me get this straight,” Mark says. He leans back in the chair and sips from his after-dinner bourbon. “You want me to manage your commune. But first I have to help make it? Somewhere in Noplace, Wisconsin?” Felicia smiles and sips her drink to compose her confused thoughts…
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the Shining Man
October, 2016 — Chicago, Illinois Waking gradually, Felicia becomes aware of two unusual circumstances. First, she is sleeping on her back which she seldom does. Second, and more importantly, there is a bright light in her room. This is disturbing. Even in the half-awake state of the first few moments of consciousness she knows that…
The Wolverine Truck Stop and Motor Lodge 