My Cardboard Balcony

A Hot Mess by Belinda Roddie A hot mess of a wedding had taken place at the country club, where the bride and groom had their clothing stained with cake frosting but busted moves that made even the stiff uncle feel sexy just to witness it. Enough champagne to fill the Panama Canal was drunk, and "open bar" became "always bar," as the father of the bride belched out a speech and made out with his wife. Any good Christian family would shriek and stare in horror at the whole display, but any fragments of the night that were remembered were happy and crazy shards of the ceremony that rocked so hard.

There was nothing on the paper was a red, splotchy dot, which reminded Helen of the Black Spot from Treasure Island only it was the wrong color. She thought perhaps there would be hidden ink, but no amount of vinegar or lemon juice could reveal a secret message. So she simply placed the paper in the recycling and went on her way. That was, of course, before the dot got bigger and looked like a stain, and the recycling bin grew very, very hot to the touch.