Two very different sisters are hanging out downtown.

(from Big World)

My sister is inside watching a movie and bleeding. I don’t bleed anymore. It’s not something I thought I’d miss. My mother refers to the whole situation as my apparatus. When I’m quiet she asks if it’s because of my apparatus, and sometimes, in the middle of a conversation, she’ll put her hand on my arm and say: just because you don’t have your apparatus doesn’t mean you’re not a woman.

Loved this story. It’s funny and dark and sad and confused. And quick. The dialogue serves real function, nudging the plot and getting the most out of every word. I get these characters, I feel for them, I puzzled over them. Yes! Stories should make you think! To thinking!

You can read a slightly different version of this story here, or you can wait until February when Big World comes out Short Flight / Long Drive, the good people who publish Hobart. They sent me an advance copy and I am grateful.