THE HOUSES IN ROSSFORD Fenn Houghton and his significant other, Todd are quickly going broke. That’s the bad news. But they find half a million dollars; that’s the good news. It belongs to a drug lord who will do anything he can to get it back. Bad news again. Fenn’s sister, Adele doesn’t know what’s worse, learning of her husband’s cheating ways, or learning who he’s cheating with, and for how long. A young boy is sent to live with hi...

I have been gone for sometime, if i continued to post the rest of Wise Life, could anyone still follow it, and would anyone still want to? Yours, C.L. Gibson

Mason was, as usual, chatting up all their fellow freshman, and Balliol was standing with Tommy, his arms crossed over his chest. “Damn Matt for coming in as a sophomore,” he said. “Freshman orientation could be fun,” Tommy told him, and waved at a kid who was wearing a tee shirt with the name Jesus encased in a fish. “No,” Balliol said. “It couldn’t. Everyone else was in shorts and tee shirts, except for Mason who was in jeans and a te...

One day, in the middle of Keisha Darrow’s thirtieth year, as she was drying dishes, she immediately stopped. She stood at the sink for a long while, looking out of the curtained window onto the driveway. She didn’t even focus at first. It was all blurs. It was all vague shapes. She heard nothing. Then she just heard noise, all disconnected from everything else.             She heard her son. She heard Mason say something. ...

“it is fearful, I was a mirror, an individual,” cries the shallow rock pool, “now infinity   claims me; I am everything? But nothing”; peace, salt, you were never as useful as all that,   peace, flower, you are one of a thousand-thousand others, peace, shallow pool, be lost.         “And that’s your favorite poem,” John remarked, taking out a cigarette and lighting it. ...

Sully was getting up from the table when Mason signaled to him.             Sully raised an eyebrow and came over, his face amazed.             “Can I talk to you a second?”             “Yeah, sure, Mase. You know you can.”            ...

“I WISH YOU WERE COMING with us,” Sully said as Matt was getting ready to leave the Darrow house.             “Yeah, Matt,” Mason joined in. “I mean, we’re only going to look at the house we’re all going to end up living in. And no parents. That’s the best part. Dad and Mom were going to come down, but they decided to do it on their own time. They’re letting us make the purchase.&r...

Upstairs Bonnie Metzger looked in the mirror. She was eighteen, but looked a little older, he eyes were weak because of tears and also because the mascara she usually wore was gone. She’d dyed her hair black, but that just looked ridiculous now, and she hadn’t bathed since yesterday. She could smell herself. She didn’t care. “Swain, thank you for being here.” To Swain, her friend sounded different. Her voice was lighter. Bonnie just kept running her han...

Adam Bannerjee was coming out of the washroom when he almost bumped into Dan. “I’m sorry man.” “It’s all right,” Dan brushed it aside. “Plus, I wanted to thank you. For the job and everything.” “Well,” Adam smiled, embarrassed, “it’s not like I gave it to you.” “You gave Savannah the application and you gave me the interview and… I really needed it. Not just for the money, but also to get out...

“Now, I am in charge.”             “In charge of what?” said Tommy.             Addison began to answer that, but in the mirror he saw Tommy’s reflection grinning and said, “After eighteen years I finally realize you’re not even a fourth as stupid as you pretend to be, Dwyer.”         ...

“Guys!”   Matt went down the hall into the back of the house.             Mason’s door was open and Matt could hear:   Many nights we prayed with no proof anyone could hear In our hearts a hoped for song we barely understood   Now we are not afraid although we know there’s much to fear We were moving mountains long before we knew we could    ...

Dan came into Mason’s room with the phone Wednesday morning.             “I didn’t know the phone rang,” Mason said, sitting up and taking it from his uncle’s hand. “I didn’t know you were here, either,” he whispered as he turned his attention to the call and said, “Hello?”             “Is this Mason Darrow?&rd...

“So, Mason,” Dan was saying as they were sweeping up the garage, “How is Savannah doing?” “She’s good.” “She’s not still with that Bobby guy, is she?” “No.” “Good, he was an asshole.” Dan stopped and struck a pose, rubbing his chin. “So... if I gave her a call?” “Uh…” “Uh… what?” Mason looked for a way to phrase this. “You co...

“Goddamn, I wonder if she knows. I wonder how miserable they’ll-”             Ruth Balliol came to the door, knocking lightly on the lentil.             “Mom?”             “Lincoln, you’ve got company.”           &nb...

When Dan was sent to The Experimental School, they told him he couldn’t play Malcolm X in the school play during Black History Month.             “Why not?”             The whole class burst out laughing.             “That’s enough!” Mrs. Castaneda told them all, and then explaine...