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About the Author: Michael Guillebeau has published three mystery novels, including his latest, Play Nice. His first book, Josh Whoever was a finalist for the 2014 Silver Falchion Award for Best First Novel: Literary Suspense, and received a starred review in Library Journal, and was named a Debut Mystery of the Month by Library Journal. Guillebeau has published over twenty short stories, including three in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine.
You don’t quit cocaine; you only borrow time away from it. The skinny girl’s head hurt, again, reminding her, as it did most days, that it needed its old friend. Just enough to stop the pounding and feel normal, think about something clearly and simply without the fog that always seemed to be there without the clarity of the drug.
She wondered if it would ever get better. The drug counselor—back when the state still paid for her counselor—had told her that it was more than coke that made her head throb and everything move in a fog. Years of being knocked around, things she couldn’t even remember, and things she didn’t want to remember. Maybe it was just the way she was.
The counselors had shrugged at the hopeless case and given her a succession of palliatives. They came with prescriptions but, really, they were just coke-in-a-pill with fancy names. Not even as good as coke: they only made the fog feel like a happy place. Getting over the legal drugs was harder than getting over any of the illegal drugs. A long time since she had done either, and she still felt the craving every day.
Her head hurt worse when she tried to think of what to do. She wished she were smart enough to find the answers. She cried for the scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, couldn’t watch it with other people because she would bawl like a dying calf whenever Ray Bolger would sing, “If I Only Had a Brain.”
Great short story, Michael. Kept my attention the whole time. Good character development and just enough descriptions to paint the picture I needed. Well done.
I felt good after I read it. Thanks for well written characters. I was pulled in immediately.
I enjoyed your story, Michael. I loved that the girl's street smarts kept her from being victimized. At the end I felt good about her in spite of her problems.
Thanks for all of your support. The Skinny Girl was a very minor character in my JOSH WHOEVER book and she just kept growing until she became one of my favorites.
Very realiastic character. Good story.
Great Story, Great pace, kept my attention throughout.
Good story!
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