Tribute

by Paula Gail Benson

The small, unadorned tombstone sat wedged at the corner of the cemetery's cinder block fencing. Larger monuments in the family plot had lengthy chiseled homages and floral wreaths.

Before leaving the desolated spot, a visitor wondered, could not some recognition be made at Christmas, even for a murderer?

At midnight, the young woman’s wispy figure appeared holding a small bouquet. “Even as a ghost, I feel the wind whipping through the broken bones that never healed,” she whispered.

Beneath her spectral feet, warmth radiated, as if her condemned protector opened a small door from hell to offer her Christmas comfort.

***

This 100 word story is offered as an entry for the annual Advent Ghosts event hosted by Loren Eaton at I Saw Lightning Fall. See the other entries there. Thanks, Loren, for the opportunity!

 

Return after Absence

CDC Covid-19 Image

My last entry is dated about a year before the Covid-19 shutdowns. In 2019, I enjoyed moderating panels at Malice Domestic, Killer Nashville, and (my first at) Bouchercon in Dallas, where I got to spend time with my cousins. Since March of this year, most writing meetings have been through new technologies. I’m thankful to have worked with Palmetto Chapter of SinC and Southeastern Chapter of MWA in converting Mystery in the Midlands to a virtual conference; to participating in Ed Aymar’s DC Noir at the Bar; and to moderating a romance in cozy mysteries panel for Sacramento’s virtual Bouchercon.