Amalfi It was possible, Sofia Ravello would tell the Carabinieri later that day, to spend the majority of one’s waking hours in another man’s home, to prepare his meals and wash his sheets and sweep his floors, and to know absolutely nothing about him. The officer from the Carabinieri, whose name was Caruso, did not … Read more
Warm fingers entwine with mine, pressing my hands deeper into the mattress. My eyelids are too heavy to open from the lack of sleep I’ve had this week. The lack of sleep I’ve had all month, really. Hell, this whole damn year. I moan and attempt to squeeze my legs together, but I can’t. There’s … Read more
Her dreams and goals were simple and few. As a former army brat, Morgan Albright spent her childhood moving across countries and continents. Her roots, directed by her father’s work, grew short and shallow to allow for quick transplanting. From base to base, from house to house, state to state, country to country for her … Read more
The stars are extinguished, and the drowned moon floats just under the surface of a translucent lake of clouds. Rats breed in the crowns of the phoenix palms, flea-tormented trespassers that mostly keep to their high nests and are seldom seen in this illustrious community where the masters of art and industry live sequestered on … Read more
From then on whenever he heard the song he thought of the death of Munson. It was the Jackson 5 after all who put Ray Carney back in the game following four years on the straight and narrow. The straight and narrow—it described a philosophy and a territory, a neighborhood with borders and local customs. … Read more
To Live Is… “A thousand years in the past, a thousand years in the future—no matter where you live or how rich or poor you are—the four phases of a woman’s life are the same,” Respectful Lady says. “You are a little girl, so you are still in milk days. When you turn fifteen, you … Read more
1900, Travancore, South India She is twelve years old, and she will be married in the morning. Mother and daughter lie on the mat, their wet cheeks glued together. “The saddest day of a girl’s life is the day of her wedding,” her mother says. “After that, God willing, it gets better.” Soon she hears … Read more
We just needed a place to get away from it all. That was the reason why I decided to book a night’s stay at the converted barn house in the Kent Downs, a part of England designated as an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a part of the country that plenty of other people … Read more
Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. ‘Police, fire or ambulance?’ ‘Hi, yes, I don’t know. I’m not sure really. I don’t know who I need. There’s no fire, I mean. Obviously there’s no fire because of the rain.’ ‘Can you tell me why you’ve called emergency services today, sir? ‘There was an accident, I mean… a pedestrian was hit. … Read more
“You’re home!” My friend, Abby, throws her arms around her brother, Knight, who’s prowled into the room. His hair is overgrown, and his beard is threaded with a few gray hairs. Huh? Knight definitely didn’t have gray hair the last time I saw him. But then again, he hadn’t been captured by the enemy and … Read more