BURN YOUR LIFE DOWN: a short story

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From the Spring 2021 edition of The White Wall Review:


Professor Jeffrey Deepmere stands alone under the great sandstone arch at the entrance to the riverfront memorial park. He reaches for the crumpled pack of cigarettes in the pocket of his pilled wool overcoat and strikes a match. It’s a shameful habit from his experimental phase with Quinn, but the occasional nicotine rush puts him in a creative state of mind and fills him with a sense of euphoria. Unfortunately, after taking a few desperate puffs, he traces with one trembling finger the familiar names engraved on the arch for all time. It has become a ritual for him, and he begins to suspect that he may require a stronger type of medicine. As a self-respecting Humanist, he rejects the grossly superstitious beliefs of the well-meaning locals, but now, above the swiftly flowing current, he perceives the low moans of the restless spirits rumored to haunt the river’s muddy embankment. 

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