The War Machine won second place in a short story contest at Mesa College in San Diego in 1987. It was published in two places: Inword Journal and The Mesa Press; March 9, 1987. The War Machine By  James M. Weil  It was 7 a.m. Jack Dempsey found his timecard among a multitude of others and punched in. In the 15 years he had worked at the factory, he had missed only two weeks—once because he had the flu and …

The Last Summer By James M. Weil   It wasn’t until summer vacation started when Colette and I came together. She called me one day and said she wanted to come over and talk. We were neighbors. She lived on the next street over, and getting to her house meant trekking through the woods and crossing a dam at the end of a large duck pond that separated our streets. After she called I raced around the house, picking up …

This novella was written in the midst of an enormous manic episode. It took only a few days to write, but I really put my heart and soul into this one. The Dance Teacher By James M. Weil I waited anxiously at the front desk for my dance teacher. Being new to the school I knew next to nothing, and I watched other dancers glide over the shiny wood floor of the main ballroom in front of me. They seemed …

Turpitude & Bad Financing By James M. Weil John lay back on the bed and stared up at his reflection in the mirror on the ceiling. He had put on a lot of weight recently, and he felt fat. His naked body looked grotesque to him, although Sheena didn’t seem to mind. “Do you mind if I smoke?” Sheena asked. “Go right ahead,” he replied. She reached across his chest for her cigarettes on the night table. Her bleach-blond hair …