Have We Been Here Before?

By Curt Lincoln

Have We Been Here Before? is a stirring collection of short stories, flash fiction, prose, and poetry that explore complex themes of loss, alienation, poverty, and more. From the despair of losing a beloved pet, to the chill of a cold winter's evening, to the turmoil of a battlefield, author Curt Lincoln invites readers to explore a wide range of emotions and experiences. Readers will find themselves captivated by the characters and the situations they face. If you enjoyed works such as The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, you will be enthralled by the stories in Have We Been Here Before? 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Justin Senecal
• Release date: Jun 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223554431

Book preview

Goodbye Molly

Kirsten held Molly the Sheep tight against her.  She had had Molly so long; tonight, was going to be very difficult.  It is never easy to lose a friend. 

Molly had been sick recently, and the present cold snap they were having was not making things easier.  Her arthritis was worsening, and her steps looked more and more painful to Kirsten.  Everything seemed to point to the inevitable. 

Come on, Molly, Kirsten called to her old friend.  We need to go for a ride.  She helped her carefully into the back of her old '38 Ford pick-up truck, the bed lined with straw and blankets, fresh and warm out of the dryer, to hold off the cold for the three-mile ride to Dr. Seabrook's Veterinarian Hospital.

After Molly was secured and cozy in the bed, Kirsten climbed into the cab of her ancient blue beast and drove into town.  She listened to the radio for a moment and decided it would be better to be alone with her thoughts than together with Don McLean. 

Her thoughts rolled back to when she first got Molly as a lamb.  Her face and wool were so white, they looked almost bleached.  She bounded around her enclosure at the county fair, and Kirsten knew she had to have her.  She wanted a sheep to go along with the empty farmhouse.  Who has a farm with no animals?  she thought.  Well, this ewe will fix that.

Kirsten turned left onto Dr. Seabrook's long dirt driveway as a tear ran down her face.  Shaking a little, she thought, How am I going to do this?  Her lip quivered as she parked the truck and threw her hands over her eyes, breaking down and sobbing into them.

Suddenly there was a soft knock on her driver's side window.  There stood Dr. Seabrook, somber, but with a weak smile for her, trying to comfort his friend.  Kirsten, I have a hand wagon.  To make her more comfortable.  For bringing her inside, he said, choked up and choppy.

Thank you, Eddie, she replied, wiping her tears away.  She didn't want him to see her like this. 

Would you like me to do this without you, or would you...

I'll go, She blurted out, cutting him off, For her.  She sniffed again and climbed out of the cab of the truck.  Willing herself the strength she needed, a tremendous feat.

Kirsten and Seabrook slowly and carefully lifted Molly out of the ancient Ford's bed and onto the wagon into which Seabrook had placed a dog bed for her.  Kirsten put a blanket around Molly, and they silently walked into the hospital. 

Kirsten wiped away another stray tear, desperately trying to maintain her composure, for Molly's sake.

Molly, like any loving pet, had always been able to pick up on Kirsten's moods.  She always seemed excited when Kirsten had an extra spring in her step and invited Molly along during chores and runs into town for supplies and groceries. 

She also knew when she had been a bad girl as well.  She would hide in a corner and hang her head after Kirsten would catch her outside her pen.  Once, she broke out and was lost in the woods for much of the day.  She hung her head for three days realizing how much she had worried Kirsten.  What if the coyotes had found her first as night fell?

Molly even knew when Kirsten needed to be consoled.  She was out in front of the house, grazing on new spring grasses, while Kirsten was mending the east cornfield fence.  Suddenly they both noticed a black car coming up the dirt lane to