A moment before you wake, a bird escapes your dream. You find it waiting for you, watching you, flapping and fluttering, perched atop a stack of books arranged like a staircase. When you grab for it, the bird turns into a sunbeam slanting down from a pinhole in the curtain.

Bob Thurber is the author of six books. Regarded as a master of Flash and Micro Fiction, his work has appeared in Esquire and other magazines, been anthologized 60 times, received a long list of awards, and been utilized in schools and colleges throughout the world. He resides in Massachusetts. Visit his website at BobThurber.net.