The road is gently sloping, not steep. She’s breathless.

A little tightening, that’s all. No elephants, no terrible radiance. Not severe, nor crushing. Barely squeezy. It will stop when I rest.

She does. It does. She returns to her book and wine.

She’s not the betting kind, but she gambles.

Kassy is trying to be a part-time writer in Colorado. Her work is featured mainly under a pile of tears and rejection notices.