Photo by Satyam Pathak on Unsplash
by Gary Fincke
A man believes himself responsible for his mother’s death, his call ringing so long that it coaxed his mother’s voice, breathless from her downstairs hurry and failing heart. He’s alone, weeks sleepless, his house beginning to speak in a language he cannot translate. All morning its strange monologue chants the vowels of threat and fear; by noon the rooms darken for rain, the windows sealed like lids on lungs while light flees to where everlasting breathes promises without people. On the kitchen table, papers and books, a small, reusable place setting. The heart of a king, he’s read, was mummified with mint and myrtle, frankincense, daisy. After centuries, it’s a thing that travels like a campaigner, but in each room of his house, only the unbearable waits like a woman he’s paid for.
Gary Fincke’s latest flash collection is The History of the Baker’s Dozen (Pelekinesis 2024). His newest book is After Arson: New and Selected Stories (Madville Press 2025). He is co-editor of the annual anthology Best Microfiction.
