Amber shuffled through her birthday cards, scanning the well wishes until the words blurred together. A hot tear spilled down her frigid cheek. She stacked them on the end of the kitchen counter. Reading the rest would have to wait. She shuffled back to the entrance and re-tacked the draft-blocking coverlet…
The gymnast springs from the mat to the impossible bars above. Her willowy form flips in an artful spiral through the air. Gasps rise from the arena as the routine mounts toward her final moment. She whirls from the heights and unfolds her legs. The entire performance depends on the ending impact.…
Squeech. Background noise pervades televised sports, its high pitch grinding at my inner ear bones. Shaboom. Eeep. Whrr. Car radios, electronic signals, exhaust fans--life's daily din raises the irritation. Whaack. Fluorescents slam my pupils open. Tick-tock. Minutes sift from my hours, progress slipping like sand through my fingers. Meager accomplishments pale in contrast to those…