The young man could—and often did—turn anything into a percussive instrument, much to the ongoing dismay of his employer, coworkers, former classmates, and teachers.

The ring finger on his left hand was missing, lost along with his gold wedding band in an incident years ago—an event he had never fully explained.

Collected together for the first time, here is the entirety of “The Bluebirds Were Her Friends” by Gaylen J. Pruitt!

“A few weeks later Zareen left the cottage, too. She had packed a bag and ventured deep into the jungle, only to return a few hours later…”