If I had a Hammer by Joan Baril

This story was first published last year in Northword for their issue on the topic of "sin."

If I Had a Hammer

On the sidewalk, my sister and I leaned against the church hall, listening, waiting for the precise moment. The Sunday school kids inside were singing  Praise God from whom all blessings flow, the hymn that accompanies the collection plate.  At the final notes, we rushed in. Perfect timing. As usual, hardly anyone paid attention.  Just the Marston girls, late again.  So once more, we could keep the nickels our mother had given us for the offering and spend it on candy on the way home.

 

“Lent is sacrifice,” intoned the Superintendent.  “Give up your sweets, your comic books.” I tuned out to ponder a more pressing question: Jersey Milk or Jersey Nut? 

 

We argued as far as the corner store but decided on Caramilk, carefully dividing the bar in half.  The first luscious square melted between my teeth, slipping me into chocolate heaven.

But what was this?  My sister was carefully wrapping her portion.  “I’m giving chocolate up for Lent,” she said.

“Good,” I said. “I’ll eat it.”

“No, I’m saving it for Easter.” In our bedroom, I watched her place the Caramilk inside her small dresser drawer, lock it and put the key in her pocket.

Short Story writers take Literary Thunder Bay

Thunder Bay's Marion Agnew hits the jackpot with a sizzling and provocative short story published in the latest edition of Prairie Fire. Cass is a member of AA, a street smart woman with a big heart. We walk with her as she tries to make sense of her life.  A tough, interesting story.  Agnew writes swift, strong prose that captures the reader.  Available at Chapters and Northern Women's Bookstore.

Colette Maitland sends us a note.   Hi Joan and Lit Thunder Bayers

Here's a link for y'all where you can find one of my stories from the linked collection of stories called SNAFU -- http://prairiejournal.org/stories.html This story was a finalist for hard-copy version of The Prairie Journal, but then they found they didn't have enough room for it. FYI: The Prairie Journal has just begun to publish content on its website, both poetry and fiction. They are particularly interested in publishing longer bits of fiction on their website. Enjoy.

Colette Maitland, one of Canada's premier writers of short fiction, tells the story of a little boy in the 1960's who has his own concerns at school while the assassinations of the Kennedys and Martin Luther King create a disconcerting back drop to his life.  Colette's  story is called The Changing of the Guard, an apt title.  Available on line at Prairie Journal.

The Prisoners of War, written by Joan Baril, is based on a true event.  In World War II, German prisoners of war were allowed to work on local farms around Thunder Bay.  Martin Mueller (fictional character) is sent from Neys POW Camp to a local dairy farm and his life becomes entangled with the two women who run the farm and a young POW farm hand.  The conflict overseas suddenly destroys their quiet rural lives, making them all prisoners of  the war.

The story will be published in the spring edition of The New Orphic Review published in Nelson BC.

The magazine NorthWord declared "Sin" to be the theme of an upcoming edition.  Joan Baril's short comic story, If I Had a Hammer, will introduce readers to two larcenous Sunday School girls. Sin means nothing to them.