We ride up in the company truck, an uncomfortable ride in the boxed-in cab, the empty cargo bay banging away, carrying only a toolbox and a bag of wigs. We have two stores to visit, one in Napa, the other in Sonoma and both include a change of clothing. Richard gets me started by having me undress the two women mannequins in the storefront’s main window but instructs me to leave their blouses on because he doesn’t want to…

The night was surreal. The path led past a decayed log, its innards burst open, glowing phosphorescent green like the guts of an alien. Lantern fireflies appeared sporadically in winks, their butts randomly blinking on and off like mini warning lights and above, trillions of stars spattered the black abyss. It was there in the woods that all of our childish fears collided, the deep density of the forest, the immensity of…

I don’t recall much about the dentist from my childhood, only that his drill was constantly wheezing, his heavy needles ominous and painful and his consolation after the session: a ‘prize tray’ located in the reception area that featured a scrap heap of cheap dime store trinkets and things, fake coins, Jacks, plastic wands, marbles and the like. I half-expected to see mixed in there the teeth he had just pulled out of my…

“What do we have Tom?”

Lieutenant Uejo stood in the doorway of the office, smoothing down his tie, inspecting the ornate pattern of origami cranes in hues of blue that dove down his shirt. Like all the upstairs suits, Uejo was transparent, the cliché…