Famous Last Words by Jim Davis

It’s now, she says. Now, & never again – so we beat on, boats against the current & swooned slowly, heard the snow falling faintly through the universe. I had been there before, lying on my back, thumbing my nose at You Know Who, which is why I don’t tell anyone anything. If I do, I start missing everybody. Poo-tee-weet said the bird under firebombs & the old man was dreaming about lions. Quién es? said Billy the Kid. Don’t let me drop. There, on the ground under the almond tree, pleasure of simple joys & the happy summer days, borne back ceaselessly into gray – there’s no good way to say goodbye.

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The Good Neighbor by Tim Bass

The day after Leon and Doris moved in, the next door neighbor serviced their water heater. “Welcome to the neighborhood,” Bill said. “Now, hand me that screwdriver and show me where the circuit breaker is.” Soon, Bill held up a corroded metal rod. “Here’s your problem,” he said. Leon had no idea what he was looking at. “Bad?” he asked. “To the bone,” Bill said….

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