a taste of ‘Glass Animals’

by  Stephen V. Ramey

scroll down for tastes …

 

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45 pieces feature in Glass Animals … some previously published, some new … and below is a taste … hold them to the light and watch them sparkle!

Ralph’s wife left him for a plumber. He did more than snake their shower drain, it turns out. Collision Course

More concealer, she thinks, but that means stripping her skin bare and starting again. Blemished

“You get what you pay for,” Frank’s wife had later commented, meaning the coffin. The Mailwoman

He tossed a pizza box into his own cart, and set off in pursuit. It pushed his limits to catch up to her, but he did. Lactose Intolerant

The road continued as far as he could see. No jeep, no Dad, no sign of habitation. Into the Woods

“Today,” he says, “we shall examine an unusual trait in humans, where some people taste a particular chemical, while others don’t taste it at all.” The Lecturer

“They got girls there that’ll melt the paint off your whiskers,” was how he put it. “Nude as the Lord launched ‘em, too.” Last Call

Is there no one who understands, no one who feels the glory of this blaze as you do? Sacred in This Light

“What’s in it for me?” I said. The world had taught me some hard lessons, one of them being that no one does anything without expecting something in return. The Patron

She switched the vacuum on. A sense of empowerment thrummed through her. Nora’s RV

Cellophane, she writes. Canned … Goods? That won’t do. Canned Comestibles? Consumables? Corn? Cee Cee

He always stuffs a bottle of Dopa-Meme in the bag, and I pay him a little something for it at church next morning. Funny Stuff

Jataka dragged discarded clothes across her nakedness, and thought of God’s grace. The Butcher’s Son

“Here,” Russell said, reaching for his pocket. “I’ve got a match. We’ll kabob lamb over the blaze.” Sky Blue Pink

Malcolm looked down. Glass animals were already jostling for position beneath him, mouths and eyes snapping. Glass Animals

“Want a brownie?” Wilson said. He offered a plate through the doorway. An aura of sweet marijuana smoke hovered. Jehovah Joint

“Grab that rodent and force it inside,” my wife demanded. “Do I have to come up there?” The Thing About Domination

In Athens we dropped sausages, the casings bulged with chopped meat. I thought of the craters they would make, the haze of spices they would leave behind. Leaving the Garden

“What is the cause of our happiness?” I scream. “The conception of the Virgin Mary!” others shout. Christmas in Nicaragua

“It’s okay,” she says in a voice gone quiet. “The shit isn’t worth what they charge.” Coffee

“Hi Claudia. I just wanted to ask you if the reason you broke up with me –” The line went quiet. He pressed redial. Simply Salazar

Jeremy frowned. Mrs. Tegolfski was fragile and passive, the opposite of his mother. He didn’t want to do anything she said. Meringue

In a village comprised of writers it was nice to know her work was being read and appreciated. Cheshire Cheese

“Show them a good time, they turn you down. When you don’t want them, there they are.” The Girl Who Turned Down Pizza

I loved her more than life itself, but not more than a good steak rubbed with pepper and cooked over a low, blue flame. Years of Feast and Famine

I watched Ellen through the observation window as she inspected a blouse or fingered a buttonhole, and those full lips would suddenly press onto mine … The Bestseller

Anyway, Johnny’s Ma, she be down here selling her time when that clock strike one particular day, and out of a cab steps Johnny’s dad in a brand new suit. They say it were the first look that sold her. The Story of Johnny Zig-Zag

The radio scanned from one fading talk station to the next. So many strident, argumentative voices. Monkey On My Mirror

“Can we visit the Golden Gate, Daddy? I’ve always wanted.” A part of him opens. His chest warms and flutters. Pathways

“He’s just adorable,” the nurse replied. Only a woman would say that, looking at the shattered terrain of Tyler’s face. His Father’s Nose

I asked her once – I was helping her do some homework – what was twelve times twelve, and she looks at me without blinking, and says, “Gross.” Canis ex Machina

Less than an arrow’s flight ahead, the ground ended at a rocky beach overlooking the sea. That was where the blood was leading. Plymouth

“A million-five,” Paul says. “I believe I can negotiate a million-two.” Saint Peter’s Penis

The musky smell, the press of muscle and bone from all sides, the panicked surge of adrenalin goading him to run faster, ever faster. Formidable Joy

When we finished eating, Dad said, “Sometimes I feel like I’m talking across a canyon.” The Divide

“In the States, you can see all sorts of perversity on the internet. Here, it’s a buffet of only tu dou.” You Say Tu Dou, I Say Ma Ling Shu