Where's Frank?

It was 2:30. AL'S BAR opened at 3:00. Al, sitting by the counter, squinted at the door.

“Is that you, Edna? We're closed.”

The place was poorly lit.

“I know. I just wondered if Frank was here last night. He found some money I hid. I figured he must have gone out drinking.”

“Maybe he went to the track?”

“Nah, not enough money.”

“I didn't see him. Did you try THE TOP HAT or LEO'S LOUNGE?”

“No.”

“How about TED'S PLACE.”

“No way, Al. It wasn't much money, and you know Frank. He only goes to crummy places like this...”

From Guest Contributor David Sydney

The Giver

It started with gummies. Her mother placed a bag inside her lunch box every day. She gave them all away, hoping the other kids would like her.

In high school, she had a crush on a cute boy. She gave him the best seat, and then she couldn’t see.

Away at university, she baked lemon cakes. She gave all the slices to students who studied in the lounge late at night.

One day after work, she paused at a window and stared. People on the sidewalk bustled behind her.

She stepped into the bakery, bought lemon cake, and ate it.From Guest Contributor Faye Rapoport DesPres

Faye is the author of the memoir-in-essays Message From a Blue Jay and the Stray Cat Stories children's book series. She lives and writes in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Dangerous Waters

After smoking cigarettes with a few other men in the lounge, I walk onto the deck for some ocean air, and watch the water splash against the Lusitania. I rest my arms against the railing and look out at the great ocean. After taking a deep breath, I notice a ship in the near distance. Other passengers are pointing, and no one seems panicked, but I know. Below I hear a rumble and see something approaching at great speed. A torpedo.

I jump, and when I hit the water, a mental image of my family without me, aches my heart.

From Guest Contributor Lisa M. Scuderi-Burkimsher