I'm going to say it... I am proud of this book. You should see it in print. It is looks good, the cover is beautiful. If I saw this in a book store, I would buy it.
Anyway, this is a collection of 15 stories that explore humanity's shadows. There are stories of obsession, drug abuse, rage and more. Enjoy this free sample from the book, a flash fiction piece called "Saturation" and pick up your copy to read more.
It was 10:30 p.m. and the night did not provide any relief from the ongoing heat wave. Lia sat on the floor of her house with all the windows wide open, peeling her saturated clothes from her body. She was alone. Besides not having a fridge to stick her head in or a friendly neighbor to let her jump in a pool, there was nothing to do but to go swimming at the lake.
She drove through the forest. Headlights illuminated the black evergreens and moths fell into the light like tattered pieces of paper. She cranked up the heavy metal as she sped on the forest road. She slowed at the park entrance and parked. Excitement fluttered like moths in her stomach. Gingerly, she walked down the stone stairs. The orange lights around the bathhouse glared against the black lake. Moths gathered and beat the light with their wings. Down on the sand, she stripped off her clothes and went into the lake.
The water was cool but not cold not like how it was when her husband and kids went here all those summers. Fireflies blinked in the distance. The water crawled over her hips and up her stomach as she lurched forward. She dove down into the water. A half moon came from over the evergreens as she lay on her back and floated on the water.
She let herself breath. The husband who decided he was better off with someone else and left her with nothing but a car, her things and brand-new mortgage payment. The husband, she wished would leave her for years so she didn’t have to be the bad guy finally found his lost love and ran off as soon as he could. She always knew she was just his second choice. She let it all go in one breath.
She inhaled another lung full of lake air and evergreen as fish suckled the night air for bugs and she let her boyfriends go. Two concurrent boyfriends, she met at work. They were friends and they both wanted her as soon as she was back on the meat market and she couldn’t help herself, she wanted them both. They each called her their girlfriend. A situation that worked out pretty well at least home while they were together. They agreed that she would be committed to both of them and they to her. She never agreed to that but they didn’t know that. They were at a baseball game while she swam in the water. Lia let them go as well. This was her time.
She moved her arms in the water and let her former best friend go. After the divorce he came knocking and she let him in. He wasted no time and had her naked and squirming on the floor in no time. They saw each other at least once a week if not more. She enjoyed him and he enjoyed her. Who had to know?
Lia let her empty house void of appliances and furniture go. A house he wanted anyway and now she had nothing except for a couple pieces of inflatable furniture, a tv, a hot plate and a coffee maker. She was saving for a fridge, the boyfriends promised to get her a microwave but that was months ago and still no microwave.
A vehicle drove over the bridge and she tried to stay still. The vehicle moved ahead and she floated some more on her back. A white light came from the beach.
“Ma’am, there is no swimming at this time of night,” a man’s voice called.
Lia made her way slowly to the sand. She walked out of the water and stood naked in his white light. She could see him, he was short for a man but had wide shoulders. His brown hair was cut like young Elvis. He was also a good ten years her junior. He stood there with the spotlight on her and suddenly her nakedness didn’t make her nauseous. She stood there, watching him. Lia ran her hands over her lumpy body as if she were smoothing out invisible clothes.
She cleared her throat, “Sorry, it was just so hot and I had to cool off.” She moved toward him with her shoulders back and her hair around her shoulders, “I’ll just get dressed and be on my way.”
He shut off the light as soon as she was close to him. She didn’t reach for her clothes even though they were at her feet.
“You know, I could write you a citation,” he said.
“Well you have a job to do,” Lia replied and still didn’t move her clothes. She felt his eyes travel over her body. A pulse raced through her, a powerful pulse that oozed sexual confidence. She wanted him and she knew she would have him.
“I won’t though.” He paused, “I still won’t though but maybe do you want to come and make my rounds with me. It is cool in the Jeep.”
She smiled, “Yeah why not, you only live once.”
Lia gathered her clothes and made no attempt to put them on and followed the ranger.
It neared midnight when the park ranger pulled into the ranger station. She didn’t know his name, it’s not like she asked when he bent her over and screwed her or when he screwed her in the back seat of the jeep. She never told him hers either.
“I’ll be just a minute, then I will take you back to your car.” He shut off the engine and the dark night fell around her except for the lone light bulb at the door. She smoothed out her hair and clothes and looked around the Jeep and saw a pistol in a leather holster.
She took it out. Lia held in it her hands. She always wanted freedom. Freedom to do as she pleased, freedom to screw whomever she wanted. And now she had what she wished. It was all wrong, she was wrong and there was no turning back.
Lia cocked the pistol and pulled the trigger.
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