A story by J. Nicholas
Relief Practitioner
She takes one week off.
In Laguna Lake, a mid-century resort town on a desert sea, Glenys Rycee eats other people’s sins for a living. Nobody has ever asked whether she needs relief. She books a week away, and the town falls apart.
The Service
“What the heck is a relief practitioner, anyway?”
“She’s a sin-eater, dear. Now hush while she works.”
Hands on the bread. She bites through the crust. The customer walks out weightless, and Glenys keeps what they left behind. Appointments are booked weeks out. Everyone recommends her.
Tone
Pleasantville meets Christopher Moore
Setting
A California desert resort, late 1950s
Form
Ensemble comedy, short fiction
Status
In development
Laguna Lake
Pleasantness, sold by the lot.
Who’s in line
- Dorothy Hale chairs the festival committee and stays pleasant by appointment.
- Judy Hale, her daughter, never thought she needed it.
- Bud Ransome sells lots by the shore to families from Los Angeles.
- Commodore Lyle Vance runs the regatta and the bar tab.
- Walt and Bev Kimball both booked the last appointment.
- Johnny Marlowe, the headliner, has never felt bad about anything.
- Sheriff Earl Dobbs has the biggest weekend of the year and nobody’s anger getting eaten.
Festival Weekend
Nobody thought to postpone it.
She comes home to a line around the block.
Prices subject to change.
Relief Practitioner · J. Nicholas
