Read ‘The Monster Under My Bed’ at Pidgeonholes

I’ve been writing more flash fiction lately, like this piece, “The Monster Under My Bed,” which has just been published at Pidgeonholes. Sometimes, these stories emerge all in one go, and the process still kind of mystifies me. Other times, they start as ponderous, bloaty things that I cut down and cut down until suddenly I reach the core. This story was the all-in-one-go kind.

“The first time the monster under my bed grabbed my ankle, I was eight years old. By the time it—he?—let me go, I was late for the school bus. I ran, but only managed to get to the stop in time to see the bus pulling away. A few minutes later, it would blow out a tire and land on its side in a ditch off Indian Head Highway. Claire, the girl I always sat next to, wound up in the hospital for three weeks.”

—from “The Monster Under My Bed

I’m really happy that this story found a home at Pidgeonholes. Go over there to read the rest. And while you’re at it, here are a couple other things you might want to check out while you’re there:

  • The World Is Dark and Full of Stars” by Shayne Terry. Even if I’m wrong, I feel like Uncle Eddie and I have something in common.
  • We Know So Little” by Robert James Russell. This essays series combines art and words to explore the natural world and find awe in things we take for granted. For example, the Osage orange, which anyone who lives around Tower Grove Park in St. Louis is familiar with.

Feel like reading more of my stories? Check out this list over here.