1. Octopuses have nine brains. Me? I wouldn't want so many organs with which to overthink and fly into hysterics. You always ran from those—took the car and left me alone for hours, sometimes days ... [+]
Kenneth N. Margolin is a retired attorney, and lives with his wife, Judith, in Massachusetts. Relatively new to fiction, Ken’s stories have been published online and in print. "Munchkin" is on Short Circuit #01, Short Édition's quarterly review.
When did my heart harden? How did empathy slip away? Dr. Lindelson pondered these questions in the spacious office where she had practiced psychotherapy for forty years, since she completed her residency in psychiatry. Colleagues considered her one of the best. Recently though, she grew impatient at her patients' tales of depression, anxiety, confusion, anomie. Her last patient wore a two thousand dollar suit, Stefano Ricci diamond plated tie, and an over-sized Rolex to his therapy session, the outfit as aggressive as the staccato words he hurled her way. His vast wealth, he told her, consumed