Susan in the Woods by Zebulon Huset

She wore a black velvet shirt, the kind that shows you where you’ve been last and is only still cool in places like Nebraska or Chechnya maybe, though it might pass as kitsch today.

Almost ten years ago, now, they found her in the woods behind the school as the leaves turned to rust and I still think of that shirt, already a fashion crime, but I can’t recall the color of her eyes, which class we had together, her last name, the last time I’d seen her alive.

Zebulon Huset is a teacher, writer and editor in San Diego. He posts near-daily writing exercises at his blog, Notebooking Daily, moderates a private subreddit for serious writing workshopping, and although he was once nominated for a Pushcart Prize, he is the recipient of zero Pushcart Prizes. His writing has recently appeared in The Portland Review, The Southern Review, Harpur Palate, The Roanoke Review, The Cortland Review, Spillway, Westview, and Third Wednesday, among others.