“Allah Have Mercy” I was aware that my daring escape had made Uncle look like a fool, and I knew that from that evening on I would be in the crosshairs of his vengeance. March 25, 2024 “Neighbors” Here was his chance to descend the stairs and exit the house. But he didn’t do it. March 18, 2024 “The Time Being” It had never been my ambition to be rich. My fortune came into being almost against my will. March 11, 2024 “Hostel” All the time there was a stranger in the house with them, a girl who might have been anyone, whose name they didn’t even know. March 4, 2024 “The Spit of Him” There were so many people you would never meet. Most, in fact. February 26, 2024 “On the Night of the Khatam” Even those of us who despised Fahim, who refused to forgive his past sins, couldn’t deny the triumph of his resurrection. February 19, 2024 “That Girl” Shirlee looked up and caught her gaze. She smiled, took a bite out of her Kool-Aid pickle, and scooted over to give Theo sour, bitter kisses. February 5, 2024 “Life with Spider” In the next ten days, Spider made further appearances. Some were comic, others sinister; most were both. January 29, 2024 “Poor Houdini” Afterward, talking of that night, she can’t remember how she found her way, with the darkness complete and the crow no longer visible in upper branches. January 22, 2024 “Chance the Cat” What matters is that a few weeks later the two of them found him on the corner of Fifty-third and Woodlawn, a street cat with matted black fur and a smear of white. January 15, 2024