Jesus Out to Sea

Jesus Out to Sea is a collection of short stories by James Lee Burke. Crime fiction fans may be familiar with Burke's, Dave Robicheaux novels, which stand out as much for Burke's wonderful descriptions of the Louisiana bayou, as they do for the tight story telling. But my guess is that few will have read his short stories, which is a shame because they reflect the same craft, as well as Burke's astounding range of characters and milieu. Burke's lyrical prose is always a treat to read, whatever his subject.

Skating

The morning air is crisp and cold. There's a pink glow in the morning sky. I cross a dry creek bed, then climb up a rise and surprise a covey. The quail dash about, hither and yon.

They remind me of the mechanical ducks in the shooting gallery at the skating rink. She was trying to teach me to skate. I was hopeless. My ankles kept popping in, then out. I’d jerk forward, then back. Finally, down I’d go. Sometimes just to make her laugh. The last time we went there -- when she told me -- I wouldn’t leave. I stood at the gallery and kept shooting the ducks. Clang, turn, clang, turn, clang, turn. She stood with her arms crossed watching me. Finally, she left.