“Bounce” was published by Alban Lake Publishing in of FrostFire Worlds, May, 2014 issue.
Opening Paragraphs:
Raj told Mary, “Got to get worse before I get better. Got to hit the bottom before I bounce.” Then he sat down in his chair and didn’t get up again. That was two days ago—three, if midnight has come and gone. Mary can’t keep track of hours in the dark so she counts her heartbeats and wonders what she’ll do if he dies.
She tries to slide into a dream with a happy ending like the bedtime stories Raj used to tell her. About the olden days when people had birthdays they could circle on a calendar. When they had real live friends who talked to each other just for fun—taking turns, using inside voices. Like the voices in the living room that are probably part of a dream trying to break into Mary’s sleepless night.
You can order FrostFire Worlds May, 2014 issue here.
