Sublime

José, Gonzalo thought to himself firmly. José. He and his mentors had spent Saturday practicing in the dimly lit kitchen. Long hours of casual conversation and always at an unexpected moment. “What do you think, José?” “Isn’t that right, José?” Isabel and Juan had taken turns stepping out of the room and calling, at random moments, “José! Come quic

That’s when Doña Carmen took hold of her chin and looked deep into her green eyes, into her eyes green like green grapes. She rooted around Isora’s eyes like she was mining for groundwater in the mountains. The old woman shrank back. Is somebody jealous of you, miniña? Isora froze. Why, Doña Carmen? What’s wrong? Miniña, you’ve got th’evil eye. For

implacable,

prosaic

deeper down in the more secret chambers of his unsuspecting soul, the smiling Lucy, now as dead and ashy pale, was being bound a ransom for Isabel's salvation.