About Red Tales

Here's an evolving electronic collection of short prose pieces, with a poem contributed occasionally. Brevity guides. Although sometimes a piece will run to 900 words, most pieces are much shorter. Here one may find erotica, flash fiction, brief observations, and modest improvisations. Another rule is that each piece must have something to do with"red"; at least the word has to appear in each piece functionally. . . . All pieces are numbered and titled, so there's a de facto table of contents running down the rail below, under "Labels" (scroll down a bit). Browse for titles that look interesting, if you like. Thank you for stopping by. Look for some red today, tonight.

"Flaming June," by Frederick Lord Leighton

"Flaming June," by Frederick Lord Leighton

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

23. Mission

The mission's bell once glowed red in a forge. Its color is indeterminate now, a settlement of brown and blue, black and rust. Birds trouble ancient oaks on the grounds of the mission. Once the feet of Father Serra shuffled on this ground, although the dirt has been replaced by other dirt.

A lizard scampers across adobe. Stops. This sun was the same sun under which men grunted and laughed and cursed and sweat as they built the mission. This mission, legatee of light and shadow, will, and surrender. This mission, symbol of Something or Other, and its bell, tuned in a red forge, is situated in light coming from the sun's forge.

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