From his rooftop in Brooklyn he could see the thick, black smoke rising and smell the acrid stench.

The couple sat on the beach that night talking more honestly than ever before, both thinking there openness had something to do with the sound of the crashing waves and the fat, red moon reflecting off the black water.

The crow looked on silently and bided its time as the men continued to sleep.

The wine ran out 15 minutes into the reception, leading the bride and groom to realize their friends were all drunks.

The snake wended its way through the tall grass and into the lives of a little girl and her family.

"Song Sung Blue" came on the radio, bringing Lucy back to the day her Born-again Christian mother destroyed her record collection, taking special pleasure in smashing her Neil Diamond disks.

When Jim looked up at the night sky he often thought of his own death and hoped that the last image he had was of the multitude of stars.