Peter Anderson’s debut novella, Wheatyard, was published in 2013 by Kuboa Press. His short stories have appeared in many fine venues, including Storyglossia, THE2NDHAND, RAGAD, Midwestern Gothic and the collections Daddy Cool: An Anthology of Writing by Fathers For & About Kids (Artistically Declined Press, 2013) and On the Clock: Contemporary Short Stories of Work (Bottom Dog Press, 2010). A financial professional by trade, he writes fiction to ease the crushing monotony of corporate life. He lives and writes in Joliet, Illinois.

The Afternoon Party

Peter Anderson

Afternoon bacchanal.

Champagne dissipates.

Eleanor faints.

Guests hover.

Inquisitive jostling.

Knavish leering.

Matronly notions outwardly present.

Quickly recovers.

Stands tenuously.

Undergarments vanish.

Wednesday's excitement.

Yesteryear's zenith.