North Carolina Boundary Lines Drawn on an Oak Desk

desk lamp cast a yellow glow over several cardboard boxes that were already stacked on his filing cabinets. His heavy brass pen sat idle on the green blotter, completely still for the first time since I had known him.

“Clara,” he said, his voice dry and gravelly. “I figured you would be back in your basement by now.”

“I came to collect the remaining continue reading …