Dark Moon Digest 18 by Lori Michelle & Stan Swanson

Author:Lori Michelle & Stan Swanson [Swanson, Lori Michelle and Stan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: epub, ebook, QuarkXPress
Publisher: Dark Moon Books
Published: 2015-01-24T16:00:00+00:00

INVITATION ONLY

Lindsey Beth Goddard

Daniel turned the pages of his mother’s photo album, fighting back tears. Pictures of his own face—in various stages of development —stared back at him, a reminder of innocence lost. Snapshots filled each glossy slot in careful chronological order. His mother’s handwriting marked the months and years on bits of paper underneath. A familiar lump returned to his throat as he resisted the urge to cry.

Daniel closed the book and rubbed his eyes. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he had failed her. He was a loser. After forty-eight years of life, it was obvious. He hadn’t accomplished much of anything, so busy following his dreams that he never thought to set aside money for his mother’s needs.

In the end, when mom had passed, he was forced to sell the few valuables he owned just to pay for her funeral. Even then, he couldn’t afford a casket. Mom now rested in a porcelain urn.

He stood up from the foot of his mother’s bed and smoothed the wrinkles from the cover. It occurred to him that this was a pointless action, that sooner or later the bedding would join her other possessions in a truck heading for the nearest Goodwill. But he adjusted it anyway, noticing its age for the first time. It was the same ragged quilt she’d been using for decades.

He looked around the room at the outdated decor, the open closet full of thrift store dresses, the ancient TV atop her dresser. She hadn’t lived a glamorous life. Her only child, Daniel, had failed to provide.

Placing the photo album in a box marked “keep”, Daniel turned to face the rest of the closet’s contents. The clothes would all go; that was easy. The boxes full of knickknacks and keepsakes, those would take some time to sort through. He owed her that much, to handle her items with care. They were memories, after all, souvenirs from a lifetime spent encouraging her loser son. First, with his failed movie career. Then, with his non-selling novels. Mother always kept the faith that he’d succeed.

Daniel grabbed a shoebox from the shelf and placed it on the bed. It was old, the logos obviously passé. His fingers left prints on the dusty surface as he removed the lid, setting it aside. The box contained papers—some folded, some rolled, some small enough to fit without bending. He unrolled a paper: the deed to the house. He walked it over to the “keep” container, setting it next to the box so it wouldn’t get buried beneath the other items as he sorted.

He started a pile of old receipts, crumbling them as he scanned them for importance. And then, further down, underneath the top layer of papers, he spotted something that made his brow furrow. It looked exactly like something he’d seen in his youth. The words were different, but there was no mistaking the font.

He picked up the red post card with the bold, black text. The words were scrawled in haunting, gothic letters.

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