4 April 2017 Pilcrow & Dagger

Table of Contents

Short Stories

Grandma’s Last Secret

By Noreen Lace

Page..............................................................7

Lock and Key

By Jeff C. Stevenson

Page............................................................18

Withheld

By Jamie Rusovick-Smith

Page............................................................34

Breakdown

By Roger Schumacher

Page............................................................48

Do Us Part

By A. Elizabeth Herting

Page............................................................50

Dust

By Lane Stark

Page............................................................58

Flash Fiction Taxes and Fire

By Alison Nissen

Page............................................................25

Recipes

The Secret – Orange Ginger Chicken

By Brittany Santos

Page............................................................43

48 April 2017 Pilcrow & Dagger

Roger Schumacher - Roger’s early childhood was consumed by comic

books, Creature Feature Presents, Star Trek, and Clint Eastwood films. In

1980 he attended the School of Visual Arts earning a film degree and then

spent the rest of the 80’s and 90’s working on small film projects,

screenplays, and other AV projects. Roger has been working with prose since 2003 and has taken

some classes in order to better learn the craft. He is currently working as an Inventory Analyst.

Breakdown

On a long, dark, lonely road...the tire

blows and Maggie is on the verge of a

breakdown.

I steered the car toward the shoulder

amidst the sound of the car limping to a stop

and Maggie’s persistent nagging.

“Why didn’t you have the car checked

before going on this trip? Why couldn’t we

have stopped for the night at a motel?”

Yup, it had started. Nothing new after

twelve years of unending badgering, I had

grown used to it. But dammit, I just bought

four new tires for this tired old heap. Looking

down the dark road, I saw only the red sky

spreading out over a massive flatland.

I think the stress of the last couple of

years took its toll Maggie. Her miscarriage,

no one’s fault, but she blamed herself. And it

didn’t help my being laid off at the end of the

year. As the tension increased, she developed

a short fuse. Money’s tight, and we’re behind

on the mortgage, But I had a job opportunity,

a way to make things right. But things had not

gotten off to a rocky start.

“So what happens now?”

“I don’t know. I canceled the road side

service. We figured we’d save money.”

“So once again you’ve managed to find a

way to come up short.”

I didn’t bother to respond. A fight would

only serve to make things more difficult.

Opening the car door I stepped out.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to have a look at the tire.”

“How about being useful and getting the

spare on before we’re left in the dark.”

My door slammed with the completion of

her latest criticism. Walking around the front

of the car, I saw the remains of the tire,

nothing but a steel belted mess. Passing her

side of the car, I observed she had the glove

compartment open. Her hands rested on her

lap as she noticed me watching. I felt her

glare follow me as I continued to the back.

I popped open the trunk and moved a

shovel lying next to the suit cases that we

packed for the trip. As I lifted the lid, and

spotted the spare tire, my eyes focused on the

tire iron on top of the spare. I couldn’t see

Maggie with the trunk lid blocking the view

to the interior of the car.

Twelve long and tedious years, she

always had to have the last word. I always

held my tongue for the sake of us both. And

what did I get for it? My hand had hold of the

tire iron, her voice coming at me from inside

the car.

“Well Mike, are you going to change the

tire or do I have to. It would be nice if just for

once you could do something without me

having to say so.”

The vein on the side of my head

throbbed. My fist tightened around the tire

iron, it would take one good shot to shut her

up. I caught myself and loosened the spare

from the frame and dragged it out of the trunk

placing alongside the passenger side of the

car.

www.pilcrowdagger.com 49

“Progress at last, at this rate we might even

make the morning rush.”

I could feel every inch of my being

growing tenser. Looking over my shoulder, the

sun slipped closer to the horizon. It would be

dark soon, dark enough to hide her body.

I began to jack the car up and loosen the

lug nuts as Maggie continued.

“This is some place to get stuck. There’s

nothing for miles in either direction. Only you

would drive to a job interview via the most out

of the way route.”

My mind twisted faster than the lug nuts

off the tire. Oh yeah, just like I planned it

honey. To get you out in the middle of nowhere

so I could do what I should have done a long

time ago. I smiled as my face began to flush.

One of the nuts dropped and made a pang sound

as it rolled to a stop inside the hubcap lying

beneath the tire.

“All thumbs again huh Mike.”

I got off my knees as I slid the shredded

tire off the car. Brushing the dust off my pants, I

looked toward the passenger door where

Maggie sat. I brought the tire iron to bear. One

good shot would shut her up.

I took a single step but to my surprise, the

car door opened and Maggie stepped out. She

stood in front of me wearing a big smile and

holding a large handgun. I stopped in my tracks

trying to comprehend that image as she fired

three rounds into my chest. I fell to my knees

and then slumped on the ground, dying. My

eyes turned up toward Maggie in shock.

As the life ran out of me and onto the

desert floor, Maggie’s words echoed in my ears

until the void of blackness consumed me.

“I have to do everything for you. First, I

got you that interview and made sure that front

tire would blow on route. Twelve years of

having to lead you around by the nose. If I had

known it would be this easy, I’d have done it

years ago.”

She stared at the pistol and then frowned

toward at the desert surrounding her.

“I just wish you could have dug your own

grave to make things easier. But it wouldn’t be

you Mike, if I didn’t have to do everything

myself.”

What’s Happening in May

United Kingdom Literary

Festivals & Conferences

May 19 – 21, 2017 Kerrygold Ballymaloe

Literary Festival of Food and Wine

Ballymaloe Cookery School, County

Cork, Ireland

http://www.litfest.ie/

May 20 – 28, 2017 International Literature

Festival Dublin

Dublin, Ireland

http://www.ilfdublin.com/

May 25 – June 4, 2017 Hay Festival

Hay-on-Wye, Wales

http://www.hayfestival.com

May 26 – 28, 2017 Bodmin Moor Poetry

Festival

Sterts Arts Centre, Upton Cross, near

Liskeard, Cornwall

http://bodminmoorpoetryfestival.co.uk/

May 26 – 27, 2017 Greenwich Book Festival

Greenwich, London, England

http://www.greenwichbookfest.com/

May 26 – June 10, 2017 Salisbury

International Arts Festival

Salisbury, Whiltshire, England

https://www.salisburyfestival.co.uk/

May 26 – 28, 2017 University of Aberdeen

Writers’ Festival

King's College, Aberdeen, Scotland

http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mayfestival/

† Information gathered from

http://www.literaryfestivals.co.uk/

Listen to the Podcast

www.pilcrowdagger.com/podcasts

Produced by: A. Marie Silver