Guernica Editions

Dying is not merely the domain of the dead; it is a shared experience. What remains after someone has passed are the memories, that reflections of the past and those who have passed, and the challenges everyone faces in the wake of loss. Down in the Ground is a collection of flash fiction stories that examine the ways in which individuals deal with loss -- a study in the complex creativity we use to address grief and to challenge death so that life can triumph.

The family always kept a canary in the house, not just as a reminder of the past but because they could not remember a time when there wasn't one among them. The current pet, Pavarotti, had a broad chest for a canary. He was bright yellow and was approaching the age of twelve. He was still loud enough to be heard on the other side of the street.