The dog watched him

Every corner held memories for Jacob. It was his hometown. This is where many good stories began and where many bad stories ended.

Though he ignored it, the guilt was always there.

A shimmer in the air made Jean look up. The delivery man was frozen, holding a case of beer. It wasn’t the strangest thing he had seen in his role, not by a long way.

He looked up and saw it in the window: the most battered, scarred, beautiful guitar he’d ever seen.

Jacob leaned the bike over. He still felt cold from last night, and the troubling dream of the crowd lingered in his mind. He pulled his leathers off, hoping the sun and maybe a little exercise, would warm him. A wry grin played on his lips. He would be getting some of that.

The years passed, and the dream lost its sheen.

“If you don’t have any answers and the questions keep adding up, you have to take a moment and decide if you are facing the right direction,”

“Next time,” he would tell himself.

Jacob leaned the bike over. He still felt cold from last night, and the troubling dream of the crowd lingered in his mind. He pulled his leathers off, hoping the sun and maybe a little exercise, would warm him. A wry grin played on his lips. He would be getting some of that.

Let me tell you about John 'Whitey' Barnett.

“If you don’t have any answers and the questions keep adding up, you have to take a moment and decide if you are facing the right direction,”

Let me tell you about John 'Whitey' Barnett.

Jacob’s headlight pushed at the dark as he tore down the highway.

Let me tell you about John 'Whitey' Barnett.

“If you don’t have any answers and the questions keep adding up, you have to take a moment and decide if you are facing the right direction,”

On the banks of a slow river in the deep south, a newborn’s cries mix with the dry rasp of grass and crickets. 

A smudge appeared on the horizon. It was still far away, but he knew his afternoon was about to be ruined.

Billy hated contests, especially in-store raffles or scratch and win tickets.