I've been late in getting these links up, and I just now re-read the second one of these, and I liked it even more than when I first read it. Hard to believe it was over ten years ago...

The first story is shorter, but it'll take your breath away: "Sap," by Lee Capps. Lee was a classmate of mine at NC State when I was in the Master's program there, studying with John Kessel and Angela Davis-Gardner. I was always trying to keep up with Lee, but as this story shows, he can blow you away in less than 1,000 words.

Then there's Lee's story "Notions," which I first read in a workshop all those years ago, a funny, heartbreaking story of a guy trying to make things right. As always, Lee nails the details and the tone:

He pulled open the refrigerator—no beer—then noticed the plastic rings of a six pack on his wrist. He rolled the rings down over his hand and threw them at the trash can. Leaning back against the counter, rubbing his welted wrist, he thought about going to the store for beer. To do that he would need pants. And once you opened that door you were letting in all sorts of flies. Showering, shaving. Making coffee. Even breakfast. It would eat up the time, though.

Man, I love love love that bracelet of plastic rings. So go read both stories, leave a comment or two at the website, and enjoy the rest of your day with Lee's words and insights into human nature still bouncing around in your head.

Though I still think he should've called the story "Notion." And the fire stuff in that story surely led to the fire stuff in my story from the same workshop... Later!