Free The Red Thread by Bryan Ellis

be a beautiful bird with bright blue feathers.”
    “That’s nice,” I respond. “I guess.” I never know what to say to him.
    “Or maybe a penguin… but they don’t fly, so maybe not. I’m glad you’re home, Jesse. The town isn’t the same without you. Are you better?”
    Am I better? I don’t even know the answer myself.
    “I’m working on it,” I finally answer. I’m working on it.
    “Oh that’s good. You should come around for tea sometime. It’s awfully lonely.”
    “Sure, yeah, I will.”
    “Good. How is your sister, Claire?” For years Clara and I have told him her name is Clara, but he still calls her Claire, so we just stopped correcting him.
    “She’s good. Still in school.”
    “That’s good. I must go. Good-bye, Jesse.”
    He gets up and walks away, chirping under his breath. He has a point, though. Being a bird would be freeing. I would travel everywhere if I were one. To have the ability to fly must be the most freeing and wonderful thing ever. I wonder if birds appreciate it, or do they take it for granted? Just like how us humans take walking for granted. We have two legs that can take us anywhere, yet the majority of us stay planted in one place, never seeing what is out there in the world.
    I finish off my tea, and I start walking toward the bookshop. I clock in, and Peter is actually on the floor. Not literally on the floor, although that has happened before. I came in one morning, and he was just passed out on the sales floor, reeking of Jack Daniels and wearing yesterday’s clothes. Trying to get him to move was quite aggravating. He’s a rather large man.
    “Hey, Peter.”
    “Jess, you will be ringing today.”
    That is all he says before leaving for his own prison: his office. I often wonder why he drinks so much. It’s like he can’t live unless he has a little buzz going on. What happened in his life to make him this way?
    Jill and Laurie enter the shop, and I greet them. The entire staff today, wow. As the day goes on, Jill sits around while Laurie walks through the store trying to find things to do. It’s pretty dead throughout the day.
    “You’re dressed nicely today,” Jill remarks, lightly tapping the collar of my button-up. She sits on the desk by the cash register.
    “Thank you,” I reply, my voice low and my eyes on the ground.
    “Be confident.”
    “What?”
    “You talk like you’re afraid of the world. You shouldn’t be. Look someone right in the eye, talk loud, and be brave. If the world bites, well, then you bite it right the hell back.”
    I nod. “Okay.”
    The day goes by rather slowly. Thankfully no Mrs. Rattree to deal with today. I think Jill scared her off for a little while. Some people stare while others whisper. Usually if they do talk about me, it’s not with me in sight, which I am glad for. I want to pretend like I’m not the town pariah.
    Then the little silver bell jingles above the door, and I hear the sound of heavy footsteps clomping away on the hard floor of the shop. They stop right in front of me, but I don’t look up. I have my book open in my hands, and I pretend to be focused on the scene unraveling in the novel.
    “Hello, J-Jess.”
    That adorable stutter is enough to have me slam the novel closed, the sound echoing through the mostly quiet shop. I look up to see Adam, with his light brown hair nicely styled and wearing a nice button-up shirt, with a plaid bow tie. He wears a pair of black, thick-framed glasses over his eyes. He looks good in glasses. I don’t know how he did it, but he somehow became even more adorable. I use that word a lot to describe him, but it is the word that fits Adam best. If a small animal turned into a human being, it’d be Adam.
    “I like your bow tie” is the only thing I can say. No other words seem to form in my brain. It’s like it is just a thick fog, and nothing can be formed. Not even a syllable. I look over at Jill, who has a smirk on her lips. She jumps off the