Inheritance

Charlie watched the storm. I imagine he ate roast chicken, potatoes. When the flashes made him nervous, he studied the Lord’s Prayer and a monochrome family picture on the wall. He’d seen his Uncle Leroy just in that photograph and the distance. He only knew his uncle’s farm was across their field, with much more land and many more cows, and that his daddy never uttered Leroy’s name...

https://issuu.com/collectivemedia/docs/bluemountainreviewjune2021/286

Went through several attempts at endings, got rejected several times, trimmed it by around half and changed the ending again, got rejected a couple more times, and then found a home for it :) My gratitude to @TomJonas for his insights during the writing process.