Swollen Feet

For the past... well, all his life, Eddie has been having this dream. He was strangling Paul to death. And then when he met Jackie, the dream added a make-out session with her. That wasn't all bad, except for the fact that he kept calling her... The name wasn't very clear but it began with M - Margret or Mary or Melanie. Trying to get his life back on track after some hard times doing hard time, he returns to his childhood home in the attempt to mend bridges. But he may find out more than he bargained for.

Written under the Kris Taylor moniker for a creative writing class in college, so around 2000 or 2001. The notes from my fellow students, compared with what I eventually turned in, shows either I didn't know how to take constructive criticism or didn't know how to (or want to) apply the critism I got. I'm including here the first version, but only because the last one is the same thing with very awkward "fate happens" inserts.

Also: I thought I was clever with the title, but it kinda revealed the "twist" at the end...
Also also: there's a companion story (that I remember being really freaking proud of) I might also post if I find it.