Justin Whitney's "The Old Man and the Hill" in Emerald Tales

[keyan_bowes]

My Clarion friend Justin Whitney has a beautiful story in Emerald Tales. (It's online as a PDF.)

Set in his native Texas, this is a meditation on time and age and family and life. Pitch-perfect,  engrossing, and one of those stories that feel true though they're fantasy.

"He looked out across his lawn. Where had they all come from? His tiny house perched on
top of the hill like a sassy hat cocked to one side. Watching them scurry over the grass, he
counted thirty, no thirty-five, no too many to count anymore, daughters and sons and their
husbands and wives and what all."

For anyone who has ever loved someone who's aging - this feels like a homage.