The Waking of the Grandfather

by Mel Elizondo

The last chocolate cheesecake pastry at the party no one wanted to be at but had to attend for reasons concerning the imminent time that fell on them lay on the chipped imitation gold plate. It was avoided by all and as a rule was noticed by everyone. After the incident where the door to the kitchen was opened and some of the kitchen and hospitality staff had to descend into the stagnant room where no one moved, one of the workers — new, not accustomed to the party, the past few hours, the occurrence with the clocks — entered. She grabbed the imitation gold plate, noticed the pastry, and, on her way back to the kitchen, popped it into her mouth. At once, there was a striking of the old Grandfather, a return to frenetic motion, a dialing up of the temperature. “Now you’ve done it, Eloise!” was said by one of the workers — and though the incident was later forgotten, buried in human subconscious was the memory of what came at taking the Last Piece Of Pastry at a party — and the waking of the Grandfather that came after.

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Mel Elizondo hopes you are well and in good health.

The Risk-Taker

by Mary Oliver

No one yet has made a list of places where the extraordinary may happen and where it may not. Still, there are indications. Among crowds, in drawing rooms, among easements and comforts and pleasures, it is seldom seen. It likes the out-of-doors, it likes the concentrating mind. It likes solitude. It is more likely to stick to the risk-taker than the ticket-taker.

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Mary Oliver (1935-2019) was an award-winning American poet known for her hopeful and awe-inspired observations of nature. Her six sentences are excerpted from Blue Pastures.

It’s Conditional, Baby

by Sarah Gokhale

If it takes 300 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, how many beers will it take to poison the center of my unborn fetus? If I have six beers and two shots a day, resulting in a miscarriage within two weeks, will I be ready to take the LSAT in September? November, at latest? If I write only in conditional statements, will it improve my score? If I score a 175, will my dad get kinder, softer, dare I say proud? If my dad is proud of me, do I still have to be a lawyer?

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Sarah Gokhale is a producer from Orange County, California. Her favorite condiment is Trader Joe’s jalapeno sauce. Her dog’s favorite condiment is cream cheese. Her favorite cities are NYC, Albuquerque, and Philly.