Townsfolk named it Suicide Hill, a dirt road heading into the setting sun. It intersected train tracks near the bottom, with no warning lights or crossbars. My friend called it Memory Lane, and we rode our bikes in the midday, coasting toward make-shift crosses, feet off pedals, setting spirits free.

C. Jean Downer is a writer of creative words; here are fifty. She lives in Surrey, British Columbia. You can find her at cjeandowner.com and on Twitter at @cjeandowner.