FICTION: OF HOPE

New Weaponeer, Colorado-based KRISTOPHER D. BRULOTTE contributes his first story to the site, a subtle and understated tale of hope, family and loss in a post-apocalyptic land.

It was the Volvo in the ditch that did it to me today, brought the memories rushing back like a wall of water set loose from a dam burst. I almost missed it, with all the moss and overgrowth, but a glint off the chrome letters on the trunk was enough to catch my eye. I read them aloud, Volvo, and that was all I needed to fall into the morass of memories. I spent the better part of the day lost in thought and recollection; the memories of those days were the cornerstone to a long and jaded odyssey. I recalled my father. I don’t know how he stayed so optimistic. Maybe he wasn’t and it was just his poker face. Maybe he was just trying to keep hope alive in me ...READ 'OF HOPE' NOW