Like most social media trends kangarooing seemed to come from nowhere. Suddenly videos of people doing it were unavoidable. Facebook was clogged with photos of children and adults participating in the trend. Ubiquitous news coverage warned of kangarooing dangers with examples of how it had gone wrong. “A forty-five year old man in Tulsa while … Read moreThe Opposite of Enlightenment
Clarence was nearing one of the bright green plastic buoys that marked his lobster pots. The rights to lobstering in the bay had been in his family since before his grandfather’s day. Now retired, Clarence rowed out to the pots every other day or so, depending on the weather. He had lost his tolerance for … Read moreThe Puzzling Lobsterman
The cold made Arnie want to stamp his feet to get some circulation going but knew it might spook his dog Gunther, who was crouched on four feet in the classic pose of a dog taking a shit. He was a mixed breed; some basset hound, probably some chow, maybe some terrier. Gunther was twelve, … Read moreGrowing Comfortable Together
The obstetrician told Gladys that her baby was too large. “Based on the scans, it’s twice the normal size. This could lead to some complications,” the doctor warned. “Like what?” a nervous Gladys asked. “The baby could be diabetic, morbidly obese, or grow so rapidly that he’ll be as tall as a man by the … Read moreStuck on You
The truck carrying Jeff hit a corner too fast, causing his would-be coffin to slam against the side of the pickup bed. The impact woke him. He was in the dark, inside what felt like a cardboard box and rattling around like loose change in a cement mixer. The truck left the pavement and turned … Read moreA Mother’s Love
“Are you sick?” the boy asked Robert. “I had an accident, so now I live in a wheelchair,” Robert replied. “Why?” the boy asked. Robert had spent years pondering that very question. Why was his neck snapped at the age of twelve? Why had his mother escaped the accident with only a broken wrist? Why … Read moreBack to Normal
The cow calmly chewed its cud as Morris removed the window from its stomach. The cow lived with many others in a university research lab where new and better food supplements for cattle were developed. This was cow thirty-seven, and like all the other cows she had a portal installed on her side connecting one … Read moreSpecial Ingredients
Neville and Harriet Turner raised their children in the bungalow and stayed through retirement and death. The property was abandoned, lost in probate limbo: unable to be sold or occupied. Tony noticed the dense screen of overgrown trees and shrubs around the perimeter of the property as he walked between bus stops. The jungle of … Read moreHome Away From Home
“Just relax.” “I don’t want to relax.” “Injuries are worse if you’re tense.” “What injuries?” “Look, just try to relax and you’ll have a better time.” Andrew was trying to get calm his brother Chad before his first downhill long board ride. It was dawn at the top of Bogus Basin Road and the other … Read moreFree Falling
“We have to stop. We can’t just keep wandering around in this heat,” Jennifer said. “But the trail has to be right here. We only stepped off it for a second,” Alice replied. Alice and Jennifer’s adventure to Craters of the Moon had turned into a frantic search for the trail they lost. To get … Read moreWalking on the Moon