"True History," "Electro Lux Imbroglio," and "Parable of Fire"

True History

It feels a lot like a Monday, faces on the street and at the office twisted in a grimace. The moment you step away everything changes. People scream, “Hitler should come back and gas you!” Your true history is scratched out, replaced by libels. Accused of aiding and abetting morbid introspection, you’re forced not only to walk on your knees, but also to wear a crown of thorns in public for easy identification. Some of those watching will be turned by government decree into superhumans, others into lamp shades. A licensed therapist assures those in need of assurance that it’ll be alright either way.

Electro Lux Imbroglio

The birds had a bad feeling that would only get worse. To the north, there were wildfires capable of creating their own weather, while here clouds with the pebbled appearance of breakaway cancer cells hove into sight. The children of Holocaust survivors coped as best they could. One woman obsessively checked herself in the mirror for worrying signs that she was developing an archaic hour-glass figure. When I opened my mouth to speak, it was like I had raised the lid of a music box. I could never be sure how much of what I said anyone understood.

Parable of Fire

The house made of leaves was burning. Neighbors had gathered on a lawn across the street to watch, entranced by the spectacle of the residents throwing open windows, then flapping their arms like wings in desperate hopes of escape. Although I was no small distance away and my eyes were filled with tears from the smoke, I had never seen more clearly. Behold, I very nearly said, today is without a tomorrow.