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Father takes a break from his work, and we eat together. His gaze digs for intact bricks among the shattered slate tiles, cracked beams and burnt thatch. Father’s eyes are always either up or down. I wish he’d look at me. ‘I need more mortar,’ Father grunts. Mortar’s my charge. Father trained me at the riverbank kiln. It’s rough labour.…
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In my mirror lives a shadow, edges fading in hues of blue. Her gaze presses against the glass, hungry for a piece of me every time I pass her by. Some mornings she will greet me from a far corner of the room. She will hover behind me as I stretch my jeans over one leg at a time. I…
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When he awoke, his head was like a boulder crushing his neck. His sinuses were filled with fire, each hitching breath a shockwave through his chest. A presence shifted in the darkness.
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Mommy says, “Nina needs a tumble. Don’t worry, she’ll come out as good as new.” Out in the garden, I played with Nina. She was hungry, so I gave her dirt. I scooped it from around the flowers and stuffed it into her mouth. Her pink tongue turned brown, even darker than her long bunny ears. Nina wanted more, so…
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The waitress who has taken my order wears a sepia-coloured dress, checkers faded and hem ruffled. She excuses herself as she leans in and wipes the table with a damp cloth. On her sleeve is a single red, round button. It gleams. She asks me something. My car is parked between two cargo trucks. I’m not usually the type of…
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Joy Florentine 