Probably two or three-hundred pounds of bare naked man is bobbling towards me along the sidewalk outside of the Soldier’s Grove Public Library on Main Street. A shop awning between us drops its jaw; a cement truck hits its brakes; the stoplight freezes red. Mayor Bousquet’s only son, Arnold, who is reputed to never leave their house, is wearing only a pair of Reeboks and licking a red lollipop as big as his face. Over my eyes, Mother’s hot hand clamps. She’s touching me for the first time I can remember. Mourning doves on the telephone wires gasp in unison.
Shoshauna Shy was shortlisted for the Bath Flash Fiction Awards in 2023 and for the Flash Fiction Contest Awards conducted by The South Shore Review.