Rust & Stardust

How sad was it that grief had a shelf life, he thought. It’s only fresh and raw for so long before it begins to spoil. And soon enough, it would be replaced by a newer, brighter heartache - the old one discarded and eventually forgotten.

It didn't matter where they went, the stars followed. A map of the universe spread out before them.

How could it be, how was it possible, when she felt like she was so far away, that the sky was the same?

she was swept up in the cheery and excited swell of these girls, which carried her down North 7th Street toward Federal. They were like bees, she thought, buzzing and fairly harmless alone, but thrumming and dangerous as a group. She was caught up in the magic of this swarm as they made their way to the Woolworth’s.

the inevitable and irrevocable consequences of their quiet cruelty. They were just kids, just girls then. They didn’t understand that a single act of careless unkindness would have repercussions long after