by Chris Miller

4th place

Missy slipped out from under the covers and eased open the bedroom door. It creaked and she looked back at Simon, but he remained undisturbed on their California Queen. There was a time when the earth could rend and swallow them whole and she wouldn’t know it; but over the past year her sleep had grown restive.

Missy paused at the threshold, taking care to step over the squeaky section of floor board. Simon was a light sleeper. As she crept toward the bathroom she heard the erratic patter of light rain on the roof. Outside storm clouds hung heavy, eager; inside, humidity clung to her skin and grappled with her nightgown.

The latch on the bathroom door sounded like the click of the alarm clock, the one that preceded the actual alarm by a half-second. She imagined it waking Simon now and felt her heart go from thump-thump to flitter-flitter. Read more »