She would normally have a knit cap covering her head - she knew the wind on the Oregon Coast - but today her hair was loose, almost mane-like. As the ocean breeze tousled Namirah's hair, Layth caught a glimpse of the Red Wings earrings she had on the ones he had handed to her, wrapped in a cocktail napkin, outside the sports bar in Detroit as they waited for a ride to the airport for her return flight to PDX. A short while later, with seagulls flying overhead, Namirah recogni

By Max Tachis “It’s just about midnight on this cloudy Friday night, folks, so I’ll be signing off after this next track and passing the wheels of steel to my friend and yours, DJ Kenny T, for your Midnight Mix… but I leave you, as always, with one last classic. Be well, my loyal night owls, and I’ll catch you on the other side of the weekend.” * * * It takes you about five seconds to recognize the song but, considering how well you know it, you’d have been able to do

Where the TV should be, Liam has a fishtank. I like fishtanks, he said. He was six years old. He’s liked fishtanks ever since. He’s thirty-five now. He sits in his easy chair, face less than a foot away from the glass, and stares. There’s nothing out there that moves like fish. Fish look like aliens from outer space, exploring earth for the first time. No matter how many laps they take, they see things for the first time. It’s beautiful. Liam has a job, unfortunately. His job