March Reprints: Week 4

The two shared a monster. The monster shared the two. Duplicates of the monster, which were still the monster, lived in each of the two, in their sternums. Usually. The two were named Bud and Blue. The monster was named Arrivederci. It named itself when Bud and Blue were taking an Italian cooking class and the chef would call this word out to the couple as they walked out of the glass doors on oaky evenings. The word mixed with full bellies and cool air would create a rivulet the monster enjoyed in the breastplates of his homes. He wanted Bud and Blue to call to him and slide him a rivulet, or at least a bowl of gnocchi, but they never did. Bud and Blue wanted Arrivederci to go.

Read more of our final digital reprint from 2017, “Arrivederci” by Jessica Lee Richardson.