By John McCally The following is an account by Mr. Gustus Frazier, SVP, Guthrie Bank, Hazard, KY. My dealings with Mr. Horus “Buck” Atchley of Decoy, Kentucky commenced more or less as follows. In October, 1964, near the end of my third year at Guthrie Bank, I was handed the task of drubbing up new … Continue reading The Nut I Never Cracked
A Far Corner
By T.R. Healy Catching himself starting to doze off, Griffin closed his right hand into a fist and stared at it for a moment in the brittle sunlight. At once, he thought of his Uncle Roy who used to raise a fist above his head when he got angry and bellow, “If I open my … Continue reading A Far Corner
The Yarikkaya Wind of Alexandria
By Hannah Katerina “Iskenderiye’nin Yarıkkaya Rüzgari” or “The Yarıkkaya wind of Alexandria.” Refers to a famous wind which sweeps through the town of Iskenderun, Türkiye. The ancient city of Alexandria. Not Alexandria of Egypt, that’s the new one. No, this all happened in the ancient city of Alexandria, in modern Türkiye. There’s almost nothing left … Continue reading The Yarikkaya Wind of Alexandria
Hungry Eyes
By Katie McCall Electricity cables stretch across the belly of the valley like old skin, crackling and hissing above our heads in the fading daylight. From up high, the last of the spring thaw drips down. You are here again on my part of the hillside, watching the sun drop behind the jagged peaks as … Continue reading Hungry Eyes
To Pick a Lock
By Hannah Earley The Demetren Fields had a reputation for attracting wanderers searching for answers to their woes. The wind was a wraith carrying the fields’ whispers to their ears, urging them toward its isolation on the outskirts of town. The tall, yellow grasses were roiling waves with the wild gales and grew into a … Continue reading To Pick a Lock
Insurmountable Differences
By Dawn DeBraal Casey signed, leaning against the door. She’d met her soulmate. Mark was perfect. He had a flawless smile and olive skin and was mannerly, charismatic, and considerate. She’d run out of positive adjectives to describe Mark to her parents and friends. He was husband material, and she thought of him that way … Continue reading Insurmountable Differences
Botanizing
By Jim Bates They were two brothers exploring hills and fields, breathing the rarefied air and escaping for a time the noise and grime of the city, looking for something deeper, more meaningful. They’d walk through deep woods, cool and green in the first light of early morning dawn. They’d tromp across warm meadows fragrant … Continue reading Botanizing
CPD
By Reeve Chudd Sometimes, an arithmetic or statistical obsession in someone can be annoying, but my nephew’s discriminatory feeding calculations are a constant source of pride and envy for me. My brother, Bart, and his wife, Cindy, worked for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID, for short) and lived somewhere near Lima, Peru, … Continue reading CPD
The Dauntless
By S. I. Rocco I knew nothing of boats and even less of the deep, glittering waters of Bar Harbor, Maine. Yet as I reflect on that August at sea some thirty years ago, I do not recall even a trace of fear. I remember the eight-hour car ride, the furthest I had ever been … Continue reading The Dauntless
The Heart of the Matter
By Mary Walsh Foley Stella rose at six. Walking through the dewy fields, she keenly felt her parents’ presence. The sky was streaked mauve and grey. She heard a bird rustling in the brambles and a snipe flew up from the long grass. The horizon was shrouded in a thin veil of fog. Running in … Continue reading The Heart of the Matter
Academy of the Heart And Mind 