JPJ Works - Table of Contents

Moist Heaven

The night was moist. Horror was common. Stupors were a thing of the past. ‘Love’ was hard to live with—and live without, for that matter. For the sake of appearances, she would go out with him. After years of disappointment she learned to love him. Time loved ‘em both. They were old creatures when God finally took them home. In the afterlife he grew to hate her. Everywhere he looked, she was there. Heaven became Hell. Suddenly he found himself wanting Earth more than anything else. This ‘sharing’ shit was for the birds. He wanted a good fuck. He never would’ve used the word ‘fuck’ though. He called it ‘spreadin the wealth.’ God heard his wishes and sent him back to Earth. God kept the bitch. He returned to his job at the factory. People asked him where he’d been. Everything was fine for a while. One night, while he was sleeping, he received a faxed letter. It was from the bitch. She said God had been taking good care of her. She also mentioned that she missed...

The Emporium

Three hours till dusk. I wandered without purpose through the open-air marketplace. Shops on my left and more shops on my right—some with pull-down awnings, others with display tables out front (bearing wares) that would have to be gathered-in before nightfall. I picked over items on tables and entered shops at random, not wanting to appear out of place. But I was bored. I paused at an inconspicuous little storefront with a shed roof. Something about the place held me, transfixed. And feeling like I was turning my back forever on marketplace behind me, I took one last look around—the market seemed to go on forever in both directions—and then I took the plunge. After this I'm going see if I can find my way out of this place. This is going to be my last stop, I assured myself—and it turned out to be true. Entering the little shop, noisy, was my first thought. Kids sat in chairs, in front of TVs, playing video games. A smaller kid walked around, his face bent to a handheld ga...

Stories by Joey P. Jones

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