Hi, I'm Lovar Burton and this is Lovar Burton Reads.

In every episode I hand-pick a different piece of short fiction and I read it to you.

The only thing these stories have in common is that I love them and I hope you will too.

Well, y'all, today's story mixes together a couple of elements that I really love, family and magic.

It's by the author Damien Wilson, who resides in Bermuda.

Now, Damien is a software developer, a martial artist, a former bicycle racer, and a self-described nerd who has been programming since he was 14 years old.

And of course, he's also a very accomplished writer.

This story of his was published in the anthology New World's Old Ways, speculative tales from the Caribbean, edited by Karen Lord.

In the story, it has been a really challenging time in our protagonist's life.

Her father, who seems to have been a bit of a go-between in her family as developing Alzheimer's.

Her sister and her mother are having health issues and throughout all of this, the family's patterns continue to play out.

They keep following those old ruts in the road.

But right while all of this is happening, this woman, our protagonist, becomes privy to a very strange phenomenon.

An oddity that she cannot control.

As always, please check out the episode description for a content advisory if you are so inclined.

And now, if you are ready, let's take a deep breath.

And begin. Dary by Damien Wilson.

It was the day I buried my sister that I discovered my father could teleport.

Bobby, the second daughter, the precious child, who could do no wrong, had died an addict's death, gasping her final breaths into her squat's dusty carpet.

Her stoned companions failed to rouse in time to help her, if they even tried it all.

At the time, I recalled astonishment that she outlived mom, who squandered what life remained in her chemo-raveraged body zealously, shielding Bobby from any attempts at intervention.

Mom had succumbed to denial.

...