Daniel Marcus

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Excerpt

It was Monday and I knew that my son, Pablo, would be out of jail by noon and breaking into my house that night, so I left the kitchen door open and two twenty dollar bills on the counter. I wanted to leave more, but I still needed to buy groceries and pay the electric bill. I wanted to see him but I knew that if I was awake and he saw me he would not come in for shame. I thought about leaving him a note, but there was little I could say that he could hear.

You will always be my little boy. I will always love you.

No, some things cannot be said, or must be said with forty dollars and an unlocked door instead of words. I put a half loaf of good crusty bread and a chunk of hard cheese next to the bills and walked to the back door. It was open, the screen door shut. Beyond the door: my small cement patio, a cinder block fence, the moonless night.

It was late, but still I heard fireworks and an occasional gunshot, laughter and breaking glass, the distant highway hum. The town of Zapata, Texas gearing up for Dia de los Muertos. The air was cool and smelled of mesquite, with a touch of burning plastic from the Bakelite factory on the other side of downtown.

I stood there for a few moments longer, thinking of Pablo, wondering where he was and hoping that he wouldn’t get too drunk or hopped up before coming to steal from his mother.

I will always love you, Pablo. You are still my little boy.

Bio

Salon.com has described Daniel Marcus' work as "a cross between Raymond Carver and William Gibson." Daniel has published stories in many genre and literary venues, including Asimov's, F&SF, ZYZZYVA, and Realms of Fantasy. He is the author of the novels Burn Rate and A Crack in Everything, and the short story collection Binding Energy.

Publications

"Bright Moment," Fantasy and Science Fiction, Sep/Oct 2011 (short story)
A Crack In Everything, Apodis Publishing (novel)

Writing Description

Science fiction, fantasy, horror

Writing Goals

I will write a story a week for the duration of the Clarion West 2012 workshop.


Website

cherrylogroad.com


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