The Memory of a Salt Shaker

By Bernard M. Cox

Bert discovers the salt in an ordinary salt shaker gives him the power to see his life through the eyes of his deceased wife. This magical realist story is first in a collection exploring memory and loss in an effort to show that which connects all people, the power of love.

“The Memory of a Salt Shaker” first appeared November 2011 in issue 15 of Up the Staircase Quarterly and was nominated by the editorial staff for the 2012 Million Writers Award.

• Language: English
• Publisher: XinXii
• Release date: May 28, 2017
• ISBN: 9780988636705

Book preview

Concerned

The Memory of a Salt Shaker: a Short Story

by

Bernard M. Cox

Cover designed by Sabine Krauss

Photo by Robyn Oliver

Distributed by XinXii - www.xinxii.com

Copyright © 2011 by Bernard M. Cox

ISBN 978-0-9886367-0-5

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

The Memory of a Salt Shaker first appeared November 2011 in issue 15 of Up The Staircase Quarterly and was nominated for the 2012 Million Writers Award.

To Robyn

I promise not to make you read sad stories in the morning.

The strange stillness of the house continues to wake Bert even twenty-one days later. Sleep is fitful, but reassuring. Fighting the weight of the covers is difficult. The couch is starting to smell acrid from his night sweat.

He can still function. He cooks. A small pleasure to him, the food adds scents and heat to the house, adds presence. He stirs his oats, picks up the salt shaker and shakes salt onto the porridge, then a little cayenne and fresh ground pepper, stirs again. He butters his toast and spreads some orange marmalade across the surface, pours Earl Grey from the tea pot into his mug and sits at the table and stares out the window.

The soft glow of the morning light illuminates the tops of the houses and trees.