And don’t you know that the whole city gets hotter when the lights turn on, and all the shit in the world won’t make a stink as big as one fart from God, and when you chew a little tobacco and spit it out that’s excrement of soul, and the blackest black you ever sawwas one you couldn’t see?

That’s what he said when the lights turned out, and I swear, I swear he was staring right at me, hovering, hand cradling cheekbone and held steady by elbow, chest naked and calm and my own heart heaving – don’t you?

Hunter Wright was born and raised in the San Joaquin Valley of California. She is now pursuing a degree in creative writing at the University of Miami in Florida, where she hosts a literary talk-show on the radio and dreams of mountains. You can follow Hunter on Facebook.