A shadowy form swept confidently through the darkened halls of the Museum of Modern Art. It was close to midnight, and stillness of the building seemed exaggerated by the unexpected movement.

The guard nodded to him as he passed. In a movement calculated carefully to convey spontaneity, the man stopped, checked his pockets, and let out an exasperated sigh. “Left my keys upstairs,” he explained, and the guard nodded again. No questions. Nothing out of place. It was perfect.

Still, he felt a curl of fear in his stomach as he bypassed the route to his office and headed instead through the galleries. He knew exactly where he was going, knew exactly what painting he was going to stand in front of, and still it came almost as a shock to have it laid bare before him in the dim light.

He stopped and crouched at a spot he had found to be just out of reach of the room’s security camera, which was angled high and wide to show all of the paintings on the walls. Carefully, he...   read more »

“Forgive me such crude sentiment, beloved...but I think it was a mistake for you to come here.” The mahogany-haired woman said to her husband while she reached to touch his white face, both of them shrouded by the incomplete darkness of their balcony box, the most famous balcony box in the world. “You don’t look as though you feel all that well, of a sudden. Of course, it could just be this dim light. Oh, my...you’re so clammy! Are you all right? I certainly hope whoever is sitting above us doesn’t spill anything else on account of the gunshots echoing from the stage. That last scene with the actor was exceptionally jolting. When he pointed his weapon into the audience, he almost seemed to be looking right...up...h—” Abruptly the woman thrust her fingers...   read more »

My dear brother, As I know you have not yet met your demise, I am sending you a houseguest to help care for your burns. You were so kind to me about my injuries, how could I possibly ignore yours? Besides, I know you are already quite familiar with her. I believe she comes bearing a gift of olive oil. I deposited an extra 25 mil in your account for good measure. Best, Frater.   (l.85)


Dearest Frater Major, Thanks ever so for the surprise package. As you probably know by now, my treasured valise was a casualty of what turned out to be a most extraordinary train trip. I afforded many years to the collection that I thought had been lost to me forever. However, due to your gracious gift, I have now begun replenishing and replacing the little "doodads" that made my life so homey. Oh, thanks for the money, too. With much affection and gratitude, Diogenes P.S. The olive oil was rancid.  (sk)


My dear Diogenes, It gives me the greatest of pleasure in knowing that my humble gift has been so well and usefully received. Might I suggest the...   read more »

9:15 Arise.

9:30 Still arising.

9:47 Arisen.

9:48 Quick visit to the “Little Titled Nobelwomen’s” Room

10:30 My! That certainly was a gas. Note to self: Forget the olive dip before retiring.

10:32 A few moments for morning ablutions and a bit if a sample of that lovely new “Au Naturale” makeup I ordered from HSN.

12:00 Oh, Fiddellyfarts! I missed “The Wiggles” again! I wonder if the tall dark-haired one plays soccer. Oh,well. I look gorgeous! That new makeup certainly brings out the smashing highlights in my luxurious hair. Note to self 2: Stick with L’Oreal #15. It’s a keeper.

12:01. Where is Sophia with my breakfast? I simply can’t begin the day without my tea and bread soldiers. Or any kind of soldiers for that matter. (Tee Hee. Oh, Viola! You naughty, naughty tramp, er, scamp!)

12:05 Thank God, that lazy girl has finally brought breakie and oh, goody! A new issue of “Sports Illustrated”! I just love catalogs! As I think of it, Sophia is starting to look just a tad more beautiful lately. Maybe some nice, sunny digging in the garden planting that new olive tree will be just the ticket to blotch that peaches and cream complexion just a bit. Toughen the old...   read more »

Constance Greene sat in her favorite chair in the mansion at 891 Riverside Drive; she was writing in her journal. Categorizing the events of her day and the emotions that came with them. She heard the front door close; Aloysius Pendergast was home and she heard his shoes drop to the floor.

But wait— She thought. If he’s wearing them why did they drop? They wouldn’t drop if he was wearing them, only if he was carrying them and then let them fall or if—

Constance shut her journal and rose, poking her head cautiously out the door, finding nothing in the immediately hallway, she crossed to the banister overlooking the foyer. Pendergast stood in the hall, his jacket wrapped around a willowy boy with pale blue hair. He held the boy in his arms while Proctor took a backpack from his shoulder and sat it by the door.

“I thought she’d like to stay with me for a little while,” Pendergast whispered, carefully unwrapping the figure Constance had thought to be a boy. But now that she could see better she noticed the full red lips and long dark lashes; not a boy child but a rather androgynous...   read more »

The directions had been difficult to follow, but Pendergast knew he was at the right place. It was in the atmosphere; the lull of the crickets in the tall grasses, the sheen of the afternoon sun warming the still river, the Spanish moss hanging in the trees—even the smell of the woods and the river and something else, a heady vapor on the breeze unlike anything he’d ever smelled before. Something about it made his muscles tighten with trepidation.

He crossed the plank bridge over a tributary to the unpainted, tin-roofed shack, hyperaware of the silence after all the racket that it had taken him so long to grow accustomed to in New York City, where he’d lived for several years. With his steps on the plank bridge, even the crickets had quieted. The sky, reflected in the tea-colored river water, was a bright, beautiful blue. A few cottony clouds overhead, as stationary as if they were stuck to the blue with Elmer’s Glue. Nothing moved but him.

He steeled himself and raised a fist, knocking softly on the door. It was opened immediately by an ancient woman of indeterminate age and race. She looked at him as seriously and sternly...   read more »

They pulled him out of the basement, wide-eyed and soot-covered and shivering through the intense heat. His bad eye had secreted so many tears, trying in vain to counteract the soot and smoke in the air, that it was gummed shut, and the flesh surrounding it was red, raw, and painful. The world had been utterly silent to him, in addition to its customary monochromatic cast, and the activity around him looked, for all intents and purposes, like a manic adventure of the Keystone Cops. He had laughed a little, and well-meaning strangers wrapped him in a blanket and slung their arms over his shoulder and—he knew, although he could not heard their voices or read their lips—told him that his parents were dead and that they had sent for his brother.

His brother.

Oh, darling!

His brother, Aloysius, dearest brother who was away at the finest of English schools, absent but not forgotten, lurking around every suspect corner every time...   read more »

She looked into his extraordinary pale blue eyes, so informed and intelligent, yet infused with an ineffable sadness born of personal tragedy and emotional isolation. Without thinking, she reached up and lightly stroked his fine blond hair.

He stiffened slightly, gazing at her, his pale cheeks slightly flushed, but he did not stay her hand. She caressed his cheek, marveling at the pale beauty of his features and, when he offered no resistance, lightly stroked his long neck, pressing her lips to his skin, feeling his pulse quicken beneath her lips.

He turned to face her, holding her face in his hands, and then gently bringing his lips to hers. She felt a thrill course through her as the kiss intensified. She sighed and moved closer to him, her breasts pressed against his chest, her legs against his hard thighs. She felt his body tremble in an internal struggle for control and then he gently pushed her away. Separated momentarily, their eyes locked on each other and it was all there before them.

Without a word, he took her hand, kissed it, and led her into the bedroom. He undressed her with languid movements, as if they had all the time in the...   read more »