* Author : A.C. Wise

* Narrator : Rachael K. Jones

* Host : Graeme Dunlop

* Audio Producer : Peter Wood

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This story first appeared in Liminal Stories. Check out their debut issue here!

Rated PG-13

The Men from Narrow Houses

by A. C. Wise

The men from narrow houses have smiles like melon rinds, white slices of apple, the sliver of the moon before it disappears. Their clothes smell like earth, and their eyes shine like old coins – copper, silver, and gold. As the wedding draws closer, Gabby begins to see them during the day. They pluck at her with long fingers, like a hard wind worrying at her clothes. They slide around her in subway cars on her way to work; they ride behind her on the elevator on her way to the fifth floor; they lean over her shoulder as she studies spreadsheets on her computer; they dangle their legs over her cubicle wall. They are like reflections on water, always whispering, Tell us, love, tell us everything you’ve seen. You’ve been gone for so long.