Tobey Ward "Cherry Engine Red"
I don’t remember writing this story, but I recognize the inspiration. The town, Miriam’s attic room, and Gino Trevelli’s house are all based on places I knew growing up. The narrator is a version of who I used to be: a girl longing to be someone else. I probably wrote this story six to eight years ago in my writing group. I rediscovered it this year and thought, this isn’t bad. I made a few minor edits and struggled with the ending, which may still be in progress. Then I sent it out. It was rejected six times before being accepted here. Ironically, I now work as a copywriter and sometimes do come up with names for makeup shades, the future job of which my long-ago self (and the narrator) dreamed.