The City Between Us

George There’s a boy in the paper. Fourteen. Dropped out of school. Went to work to feed his family. Carried bricks in the cold. No gloves. No choice. I fold the corner of the page.“This city makes men out of boys,” I say. Margaret doesn’t look up.“Men out of boys,” she says,“but not into anything better.” She shifts on the bench, shoulders tight. Her foot presses the pedal too long—The note drown...

“Suttle House” Author’s Note: Suttle House is a Victorian fable set in 1895. It is an allegory reflecting on the evolving roles of women and the enduring struggle for self-definition. Prudence and Abagail, twin sisters born with monocular vision, embody the duality of perception—one eye fixed on tradition, the other blind to the possibilities of change. Together, they form a single, fractured whol...