Jesus on the cross turned to his new friend, Gestas, and confided, "I'm no masochist, you know." The thief squinted into the sun and nodded toward the rabble. "Tell it to someone who cares," he said. Jesus smiled that secret smile he had and the thief spit on the ground. The crowd booed. "I love you," Jesus said to the thief and Gestas began wishing he had Barabbas to talk to. Now there was a guy who understood a good retribution. Later, as the sun was setting, the thief softened a little and turned toward the carpenter from Nazareth. "Wanna hear something funny?" he asked in a whiskery voice. Not really, Jesus thought, not just now, but he smiled his encouragement anyway. He was a damn good listener, Jesus was.
Corey Mesler is the owner of Burke's Book Store, in Memphis, Tennessee, one of the country's oldest (1875) and best independent bookstores. He has published poetry and fiction in numerous journals including Yellow Silk, Pindeldyboz, Green Egg, Black Dirt, Thema, Mars Hill Review, Poet Lore and others. He has worked in the book business all his adult life, if he has had an adult life. He is also a book reviewer for The Memphis Commercial Appeal, The Memphis Flyer, Brightleaf and BookPage. Talk is his first novel.