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The Creek

By J. Robert Lennon.
It was Amy's senior year of high school, and she was ready to move on from her friends, the boys, her parents. But while her hometown bored her, there was something interesting and mysterious about her neighbor, an artist who lost his wife in a tragic accident. Read the full story.

Part One

About a week after Amy Klon's sixteenth birthday, something terrible happened to the family who lived on the corner at the bottom of the street. The woman, Paula, fell asleep driving down route 81 about an hour and a half...   Read More >>

Part Two

By the spring of her senior year of high school, Amy was more than ready to leave her hometown for college. The little squabbles with her parents were growing more intense, and she was bored with her friends. Only one thing intrigued her -- the story of the painter down the street whose wife and child died in a horrible wreck.   Read More >>

Part Three

Amy's college applications were in, she had a car, and was dating a guy who was bound for Yale. Her final months at home should have been filled with fun. But Josh bored her, and while she wasn't opposed to sleeping with him, she didn't really want to, either. On many evenings, they'd go park and fool around in the car, and she'd ask him to drop her off far from home. Amy liked the time alone. On one of those long walks, she heard jazz music coming from Duane's house and she became intrigued with the young widower once again.   Read More >>

Part Four

After another unsatisfying night of fooling around in Josh's car, Amy and her boyfriend had a terrible fight that resulted in another long, late-night walk back home. This time, when she saw Duane in the window, she had the courage to walk up to his front door then go inside. He'd been watching her, too. They ended up in bed quickly, but with a warning -- the 28-year-old widower made it clear he was unboyfriendable, especially for the college-bound teenager.   Read More >>

Part Five

And suddenly Amy's summer, filled with such drama and change, was over. Things were done with Duane and Josh and she left for college. She seemed to have managed to put her hometown entirely behind her.   Read More >>