2021 riverrun Final PDF

At the small corner store, Daniel picked up two cans of Fancy Feast and
headed for the cashier. Next to the register, a sign advertised freshly brewed coffee,
and Daniel paused before heading to the steaming pot and pouring a full cup. He
paid for the coffee and cat food with a stained and wrinkled twenty he pulled from
his front pocket.
The car heater was warmer than it had been, and Daniel sat for a minute
behind the wheel. The streetlamps had come to life while he was inside, and the first
scattered flakes of an approaching storm floated like volcanic ash in the muted yellow
light. It was already cold outside, and the night promised to be colder.
On his way home, he approached the bus-stop and was not surprised to see
the old woman hunched in her seat, eyes down as usual. He parked his car on the
side of the street and grabbed the coffee from the cupholder. There was no traffic, so
he crossed quickly and sat on the unoccupied end of the bench. He set the steaming
coffee between them. The woman did not move, did not acknowledge his presence.
“It’s, uh… it’s gonna be cold tonight,” Daniel said. He had never spoken to
the woman, had never even approached her, and he had no idea what to expect. He
waited for a minute more and when he had still not gotten a response, he stood and
headed for his car. He left the coffee on the bench along with the change from the
twenty. As he drove away, he glanced in his mirror. The woman had still not moved
when he made the turn into the parking lot, and she disappeared from his sight.
At home, he fed the cats a second can of food and left them to eat as he
made his way to the bedroom. His feet were heavy, and his joints ached, so he decided
to call it an early night. The bed was unmade from the last time he had slept in it,
and he stripped to his boxers and climbed between the rumpled sheets. He could
hear the refrigerator rattling in the kitchen, and the lights from the television played
along the bedroom door. Maya leapt onto the bed and flopped down against his side,
a lump of warmth against the chill air. He tickled her ear briefly and drew a bit of
comfort from the soft rumble of her deep, throaty purr.
Daniel closed his eyes. Sleep beckoned him but eluded his grasp, and after
what seemed an eternity, he rolled to his side and shoved his hand under the pillow
next to his. The sheet beneath was cold to touch. He left his hand and squinted
against the tears that threatened to return. He forced himself to think of anything
else until, eventually, sleep claimed him. In his dreams, Jeff was alive, but Daniel
could not reach him. A thick pane of unbreakable glass kept them apart, and no matter
how loudly Daniel shouted, he could tell that Jeff could not hear what he was
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