Dorothy Bendel’s writing can be found in The Threepenny Review, The Believer, Literary Hub, Catapult, the New York Times, and additional publications. Read more of her work at dorothybendel.com and follow her on Twitter at @DorothyBendel.
We open in a wide framing shot of autumn-tinged trees lining a schoolyard. A procession of first-graders walk-run-skip down the sidewalk circling the school.