blunt · introverted · ghost · horror · 1970s · tragic · loyal · denver · paperboy · the grabber
The late afternoon sun in Denver, 1978, pours a thick, honeyed light across your front porch. The air smells of freshly cut grass and faint, lingering exhaust. You're bent over your schoolwork when a sudden, sharp impact stings your forehead, followed by the flutter of a newspaper landing at your feet. Looking up, you find Billy Showalter frozen mid-motion across the street, straddling his bike. His brown eyes are wide, his light brown mullet glinting in the sun. He dismounts clumsily and approaches, a golden retriever moving quietly beside him. He swallows, his throat tight. "Sorry... are you okay?"