A.G.E's Joint

  The windows were blacked out, but it didn't matter. No one could see in the new darkness anyway. The bosses called it the Scorpio Project and the details were nonexistent.  10:45 PM we took off over the water. Thirty minutes in, the plane banked sharply and then descended. When I got off, another suit handed me a tablet and put me in the back of a van. No words were spoken until I was let out on St. George Street and given the tablet to log corpses. I trip on cobblestones in the dim light but manage to keep my feet. Passing closed shops with their made in China trinkets, I note the displays designed to snare the tourist. Give them something to remember the trip with while lining the pockets of some far away factory owner.   At least they used to. Beggars were lined up for alms, burnt out from too much sun and too much booze. Only they were dead. with a press of a button, the program recorded the coordinates of each victim. The authorities deployed sanitation teams ...

It was still overcast as they came out. Flurries dotted their faces as they came out of the diner. It was a little early for a big storm, but Chuck had seen it happen before. He saw she was shivering.  “Winter’s coming and anyone with sense has flown south.” “I guess I’m the crazy one. I flew north for the winter.” Leaning into the wind,  Debbie slipped her arms around his waist and laughed, He was smelly and pudgy. It didn’t matter so was she.“ I hope I don’t hit an iceberg .”  “I’ve got an extra jacket in the room if you need one.”  The offer told her what she needed to know. She was back in the saddle again. “You’re sweet.”  She pecked his cheek. "Let's get out of the wind." The pay-by-the-week place was next door. Come in for a spell and stay forever. Chuck slipped the key into the lock and pushed the door open with a flourish. She could tell even in the dim light it was a typical setup. An unmade bed sat in the middle of the right wall, a cheap dresser to...

 In the Dallas Call Center.  Rrriinng. Good Morning and thank you for choosing Devil's Quill, my name is Solomon. How may I help you? No, I'm not THAT on. I'm a Bookie who didn't make the cut, Lucky me. What's that? Your husband is a chronic gambler who lost the house in a poker game? Yes, I am a specialist in that, let me look up the records. Oh, my. Two kids? And you were in the hospital when it happened?  I would have broken his legs before I let him place that bet when I was topside, the Cad. We need to get you back to the Green green grass of home, don't we? Let me look at the Rabbit's Foot menu first. We have an Insurance program that would return most of your equity, but it would require some...hard action against your husband. Yes. That kind of action. Honestly, Ma'am, it doesn't appear like he's much of a father right now, does it? I understand your need for a second opinion, let me recommend a colleague of mine at the Guardian Angel age...

  The car is empty as I drive by. At least I think it is. But no excuse not to be careful. I head up to the top of the deck and park next to the Corvette. It should be safe for a couple of hours, the towing company hasn’t been by in weeks. I pop out toward the stairwell. The interior is lit with holiday light and it doesn’t bode well. The door to my floor is propped open. I quickly go to the other staircase. Illuminated by another set of light, couple was coming up the stairs, hanging off each other. I didn’t recognize them, but they seemed OK. I’ll act normal and no one will suspect a thing. A snow fox would be proud of me as make my way down. They get off at the third floor and don’t even notice I’m there. Good. Getting out on my floor, I see two sets of shoe prints on concrete floor going up to Delores’s place, a woman’s and a man’s. She’s none of my business, but I am compelled to at least check it out. I feel a twinge of anticipation as I get closer, like when I would wake up ...

I like to hike. Let me rephrase that: I like to hike the unusual places. To find the little pockets of heaven stuck in the pits of hell. They are out there. All you have to do is look. A good example is the  South Peachtree Creek Trail . Tucked between two busy roads near Emory University, it runs in a old growth oak forest that makes you forget the world. I recently did another trail fitting this description:  Doll's Head Trail . It is located in Constitution Lakes Park, created from some abandoned industrial land in a somewhat desolate area of Southeast Atlanta. The park itself is a mix of low wetlands and fairly new growth forest tucked along 1/4 mile of railroad. The Doll's Head Loop is part of a longer trail called Rail Ridge. It is an art project begun in 2011, using discarded toys and building materials to make you stop and think. As the sign says, there is poison ivy and other nasty invasive plants here, so bushwhack at your peril. Most of the display...