Memories

By Alex Hurst

"It is the shop of memories. Its stores are what moments we collect through our lives, those which gather dust or glory on the shelves of our mind. Some are forgotten, some boxed away; some touted as the very best of our life. Every article has meaning, every clipping, sensation. The store changes for each person. What will you see on its shelves? What will you find in its intimate interior?"

This is a story that wishes to be true.

In this new short story by Alex Hurst, the meanings of the words we use for loved ones are explored, as well as the value of the memories we hold dear. After death, a woman peruses the aisles of her life's memories, recalling the lost, forgotten and cherished moments of her life. She is allowed to take one item with her when she passes on, and the path to that choice is one of love, happiness and heartbreak.

2nd edition now includes an afterword by the author, corrections to the Kindle formatting, as well as formerly missing front matter. None of the story's content has changed.

Approximately 3,500 words.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Alex Hurst
• Release date: Jun 15, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301612253

Alex Hurst

I was raised in the wilds of the south. Lightning storms and hurricanes created the playpens of my youth, and in the summers, I used to spend all of my time dodging horseflies in a golden river, catching fish and snakes with my bare hands, swinging from vines, and falling out of magnolia trees. In the dawn of my adolescence, my family took me on a journey across the United States, from the white sands of Pensacola, FL, to the razor’s edge of the Hell’s Backbone in Utah. We finally landed in Marin, CA, where lotus eaters tried to make city folk out of us (but miserably failed.) I currently live in Kyoto, Japan, working as a writer and dream-smith.

Book preview

Memories

by Alex Hurst

For NJ—Always with me, always in the same direction.

Memories

Published by Alex Hurst at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 Alex Hurst

Visit my website at memoirsofhereafter.wordpress.com

First Printing: March 2013

ISBN: 9781301612253

ASIN-B00C4QSB1S

Memories

It is the shop of memories. Its stores are what moments we collect through our lives, those which gather dust or glory on the shelves of our mind. Some are forgotten, some boxed away; some touted as the very best of our life. Every article has meaning, every clipping, sensation. The store changes for each person. What will you see on its shelves? What will you find in its intimate interior?

***

Rag dolls hang from the ceiling of the shop, dangling on their strings like little marionettes. The faded, paisley fabric of their spindle legs makes every twist a ballet. Black, embroidered eyes and frozen smiles turn towards me, the only customer. It was the smell of book dust and potpourri that lured me to the corner; the