Act I The first thing anyone noticed wasn’t the water. It was the silence. A garden hose twisted unexpectedly, sending a light spray over the white fence. A few drops landed on the…

Act I “I’m sorry, sir. I’ll pick it up.” The twelve-year-old boy bent down the instant the empty can rolled across the jogging path. A light breeze had pushed it just far enough…

Act I “I’m sorry. Someone stepped out.” The apology came before anyone could even react. Trying to avoid another customer who had suddenly pushed back from a booth, the eight-month-pregnant waitress shifted her…

Act I “I’m sorry. The wind took it.” The older man’s apology was almost drowned out by the automatic glass doors sliding open and shut. A cold gust had rolled his empty paper…

Act I “I’m sorry. My crutch slipped.” The apology came almost as quickly as the accident itself. A metal crutch had caught the edge of a long wooden reading table, nudging a paper…

Act I The lawn was spotless. Every pile of dry leaves had been gathered. The grass had been trimmed with an old mower that struggled through the thicker patches. The driveway looked exactly…

Act I The hallway smelled faintly of bleach and damp concrete, the kind of scent that never seemed to leave the aging temporary housing building. An elderly woman had barely reached her apartment…

Act I The old phone hit the wooden bench with a dull clatter before sliding across the surface and stopping inches from a group of laughing teenagers. Nobody reacted at first. Then one…

Act I The envelope was already gone. Seventy-four-year-old Walter Brooks stood in the middle of his tiny trailer, his weathered hands still reaching for the seasonal paycheck that had just been ripped away….