This is for my granddaughter Amber, who has known Dexter for a very long time. * * * When Dexter Murfee Nettleson approached the cash register at the front of the Morning Store, he had everything he needed to create a wonderful day. He’d found smiles on Aisles 5 and 7, giggles on 3 and 8, and belly laughs on 10. The ones with the hands attached to the sides of the belly were toward the … Read more
Darlene Joyce crept out of the fourth house on the block. The night was a little humid, a little cool. The half-moon cast an eerie, shadowed glow over everything, just enough that everything was still 3D. But the circle from the mid-block street lamp flattened part of it, rendered it a painting of her yard. She closed the door quietly behind her, then glanced toward the corner. There it sat. A red Ford pickup, filled with … Read more
At Bible Mission Church in Springer, South Dakota, the church secretary, Martha Ramis, lay yesterday’s mail on the corner of the pastor’s desk as usual, then turned away. Was that a draft? She turned back to glance toward the window. No, the blinds were down and the window closed. Probably just her imagination from having recently come in from the cold. She reached up to clasp her heavy brown coat near the collar as she turned … Read more