The pebble in his pocket had been given to him by a child who’d plucked it from a stream, formerly part of a fierce ancient river. Eons before the great flood, the pebble had been lodged in a hillside, and before that (the pebble still remembered) part of a mountain.

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.