Madrid Iowa Orchard Owners Stand Against a Counterfeit Prophecy for Two Thousand Twenty Six

the silver bee pendant resting against my collarbone.

My late husband, Donald, had bought it for our thirty-fifth anniversary.

“Donald never spoke of doom, Marcus,” I said, pausing between my words.

“He spoke of patterns.”

“He called this the rising of the dark swarm,” Marcus said, tapping his finger on the photocopied page.

“These old verses seem to describe continue reading …