My new neighbor was a hoarder. She hoarded everything. Crystals, pink bakery boxes—she even took in children. Each one was flawed: too restless, not bright enough, a daisy-shaped head. The sound of ... [+]
In a Handful of Dust
Laurence Raphael Brothers's story, "In a Handful of Dust," was originally published in Short Edition’s October '19 Rendez-Vous. Laurence is a writer and a technologist. His new WWI-era fantasy novel Twilight Patrol is available for purchase on Amazon.com.
A witch wind was howling out in the desert. I was praying for a storm to scour Coaling Depot 6 down to the ground, wipe it right off the Arizona Territory map. Apart from prayer, I still had a shot at redemption, by way of killing the man who took Maria from me. Too much of a coward to do it the day before, I was hoping for one last chance.The door to the depot saloon opened. I figured it was one of Branson's outlaws sneaking in for a drink against the boss-man's orders. But I could tell right away that the man had come in from the desert, a thick layer of dust caked on his clothes. For a mome