Todd Clay Stuart is an emerging Midwestern writer and poet. He studied creative writing at the University of Iowa. His recent work appears in New World Writing, Bending Genres, Cleaver Magazine, Milk Candy Review, Janus Literary, and Emerge Literary Journal. He lives with his wife, daughter, and two loyal but increasingly untrustworthy pets. Find him on Twitter @toddclaystuart and at https://toddclaystuart.com/.
1.
The master bedroom is on the first floor. It has five walls: four of plaster and one of fire that engulfs our mother. We have been told this violates National Fire Protection Association codes and standards.