Cannery Row Novels & Stories

Me? I gave up my future and left my homeland to follow him across the ocean to Stormbay when he had nothing. We lived in a basement apartment. We survived on cheap instant noodles soaked in hot water. I stayed beside him as he climbed back up step by step. However, after all those years together, I still could not compare to a childhood sweetheart. At that moment, every question I wanted to ask felt meaningless and pathetic. “Fine. You are compassionate and loyal. You want to take care of her and her son. I will not stop you.”

Poverty would strain any marriage, especially for people like them who were already morally bankrupt and could only share wealth, not hardship. Having lost me as their pillar, their finances became suddenly tight. The place they rented was small and old. Donovan's work remained unstable, and the factory where Sloane worked had inconsistent business.

"They are scanning for steel hulls and high-frequency transponders. But these shallow-draft canoes can navigate the mangrove creeks where their deep rudders will run aground on the mudbars. The corporation built a cage for ships, but the delta belongs to the canoes." ​I sat on a low wooden bench at the edge of the pier, the bound palm-frond ledger resting flat across my knees. The absolute silence in my throat was no longer a burden or a secret; it was an immense, calm reservoir of strength. My hands, stained with the permanent black graphite of the north and the dark indigo ink of the south, were steady as I held the split reed pen Julian had carved for me.

I say, and jog. Past the cannery, and past the mural with the blue fox that someone gave a halo overnight. The river shoulders the warehouses and pretends it doesn’t know we’re here. The tattoos at my collarbone stay warm and quiet, Hazel’s yes like a porch light in my ribs. I let it be an anchor, not a leash, Onyx’s steadiness keeps my pace from lying.

he inquired, feeling distinctly out of place. She drew closer to him, her gaze darting left and right. "Oakwood. I believe Cathy's father rules over this territory." Rowan tucked this information away for future reference. The air was thick with a nauseating mix of blood, decaying meat, sweat, and vomit. He held his breath, casting a glance at Hailey, whose face remained impassive, her eyes betraying no surprise or disgust. A woman clad in scant clothing, her breasts nearly spilling out of her bodice, cooed at Hailey, mistaking her for a man.

“I recognize you. You’re on the footage from that show.” Once again, I forced my expression to remain neutral. I wasn’t going to reveal that I was slightly uncomfortable having been recognized for my appearance on “The Island.” “If you know who I am, you can guess why I’m here.” “The Row-so girl,” he said, mispronouncing her name slightly with his heavy accent. I nodded, crossing my arms over my chest. He shrugged a beefy shoulder and nodded at the other two, who put away their guns. “Come with me.”

Helena spoke, still holding his hand in hers. "C'mon Elle, let's head back." He sounded frustrated and with the fact that they are alone in a huge forest, and stars almost settling in the sky. "Am just looking for a place for us to be comfortable." She turned back to face him, at first, he stared at her but a second past and his gaze caught something else. "You mean like that cabin over there?" Larry pointed to the direction of the cabin, all dark and spooky almost eighty feets away from them.

It was probably from the weather change that night, it was sudden and she had not eaten lunch. She thanked him and slid her purse on her shoulder. “To the beach, I’m sure there’s nobody there right now.” “Beach? But we can see it from here.” She replied back in confusion. “I know but sitting on the sand is different, without annoying country music or any person else. We will have to go to the other side though, a bit long but the road is nice.” He smiled. Their heads turned around, hearing footsteps becoming louder. Carmen’s eyes blurred, a feeling of her head getting heavier hitting her. Her hand raised up and caught the chair. With her other hand, she nudged Adrian. He looked at her with a

VOLUME TWO: BENEDICTION Ribs screaming in agony, blood dripping from her nose and lip, and her right eye swollen almost shut, Amy Tarcher stumbled through the Cattenach Ranch iron gate onto her best friend's property. Her legs cramped, barely holding her up, and the vertigo was screwing with her balance. Loose gravel over the brick-laid driveway grated under her shuffling flip-flops, but they were all she'd been able to manage when she'd fled home.

“Meri, over here!” I turned to look over my shoulder to look for Venice in the middle of the crowded cafeteria. I found her at the far corner of the place, waving her hands at me while there was a big smile on her lips. I get my tray of food after I hand my bills to the cashier and strode towards where Venice and some nerds in class were. Obviously, her squad was the losers of Quasi High. Yup, her squad only, not mine. The only reason that I am hanging out with her because we were dorm mates in Quasi High.