On "The Tourists" by Rebecca Epstein (1220 words) ****

Take a moment of wonder, or of celebration, or maybe of horror. Throw some things down on the patio, on the sidewalk, on the places where you step. Epstein's "Tourists" does just that, leaving us to ponder what exactly is happening. Are we in the midst of a parade or the midst of a shakedown, buildings tumbling? There aren't many places to go with this piece once what happens begins to descend into the hell we feared, but Epstein manages to take us exactly where we need to go--into our surprising selves. Read the story here at Convergence.