First published on 24 November 2016 at The Jellyfish Review, in a special “Ladymonsters” issue.  Thanks always to editor Christopher James, especially for his good guidance on a clutch final edit for “Charybdis”.

I have this recurring dream…

One thing (among many!) I love about flash fiction is that it welcomes repetition, as music does.  A repeated phrase becomes not a comedian’s punchline, but a composer’s leitmotif, (or a pinball machine’s thumper bumper, lol). In any case, reps are not a coincidental stutter, but an idiosyncratic strut. I hope that you enjoy reading it. I may never sleep again.

This is being published on Thanksgiving Day in the US, so I pause to thank a few of my fellow writers and workshopping friends, three especially, for their guidance and friendship as I first drafted this story: Paul Beckman, Hillary Leftwich, and Nan Wigington.

I also thank editor Christopher James and The Jellyfish Review.  This is the fourth story I’ve published with them, and I am so very happy, so very delighted, to be part of the magazine’s early history.  Long live Jellyfish!

I also want to thank Andrew Stancek, who mentioned James’s new venture, just as JR first hung out its shingle, about a year ago.  It was a lucky exchange that steered me to Mr. James. He’s got a great sense of humor, and cares deeply about life and language.

My life is better for knowing all these good people, all wonderful writers.

And thank you, too, for visiting my blog and reading these little notes.  “Charybdis” is quite short.  Hop on over to The Jellyfish Review and read the story there.

Happy Thanksgiving.