Category / 2019 / Fall 2019 / Fall 2019 Fiction / Fiction

In the old, half-forgotten times, before the gardens of Shinrone were overrun with weeds, there lived a Cold Toed Giant along a frozen mountain. Every sunrise, the behemoth yawned morning thunder before skewing boars on a pine tree for breakfast. Each afternoon he bathed in his favorite lake, racing the fresh water whales for sport.…

At 672 Grand Avenue, St. Paul, MN sits Tom’s Tailors, a small-business opened up by Nghĩa “Tom” Chu back in 1993. He started the business on his own, a feat I expect had its share of blood, sweat, and tears. The beginning of the business and my father in general remains a mystery to me…

“Can we go? Can we?” I pant, ignoring my stale breath.   My knobby knees bounce. I’m eager to explore the nearby ant pile.   She doesn’t stir. Her eyes linger on the horizon. Statuesque.   “Come on, already. If you’ve seen five sunsets, you’ve seen them all.”   We’ve done this trek repeatedly. Every…

Nagasaki, Japan, 1614         I grew up hearing the story of how faith brought my parents together.       Father was born and raised in a distant land, Portugal, far from the familiar oceans and mountains of my Japanese homeland. From an early age, he was told he must become a…

The helmet was placed on an open Bible atop an altar of a small, rural American church. It was there to symbolize the universal soldier. The helmet was a German pickelhaube retrieved from a battlefield in eastern France, most probably on June 6, 1918. It was dingy now, its polished black-leather luster having faded over…

“When are you going back to college?” Eat a spoonful of ice cream. “Early August. In a few weeks.” “Excited?” Another. “Yeah, I guess.” “Ah.” Two more. “You?” Put the spoon in the half-empty bowl of ice cream. Stare at it. See the flies from the corner of your eye. Swat them away from the…