Sandcastles

In four panels

1. A young boy sits on a beach with a plastic shovel in hand. Sandy blonde hair. Blue eyes. American.  His round face accentuated by a mighty grin. The sun is at its zenith in a cloudless sky. In front of him the loose mold of sand from his bucket forms a tower. He digs a circular moat for his kingdom.  He wears blue swim-trunks with a red t-shirt. In the distance behind the boy, gentle waves of the ocean caress the beach.
2. A young boy sits on a beach with a plastic shovel in hand. Sandy blonde hair. Blue eyes. American. His round face accentuated by a mighty grin.  The sun is at its zenith in a cloudless sky. In front of him the loose mold of sand from his bucket forms a tower. He digs a circular moat for his kingdom.  He wears white swim-trunks and with a blue t-shit. Next to his kingdom is a tide-worn mound of dirt with a faint circular outline.  In the distance behind the boy, the gentle waves of the ocean caress the beach.  
3. A young boy sits on a beach with a plastic shovel in hand. Sandy blonde hair. Blue eyes. American. His round face accentuated by a mighty grin.  The sun is at its zenith in a cloudless sky. In front of him the loose mold of sand from his bucket forms a tower. He digs a circular moat for his kingdom.  He wears orange swim-trunks and with a white t-shit. Next to his kingdom are two tide-worn mounds of dirt with faint circular outlines. In the distance behind the boy, the gentle waves of the ocean caress the beach.  
4. From a bird's eye view, we look down upon the beach and the ocean. The ocean encroaches on the shore. High tide. The setting sun dyes the sky orange and red. The beach is perforated by a line of tiny mounds surrounded by circular outlines.  In the distance, a single modest tower remains as the tide approaches. The silhouette is barely distinguishable, but we see the boy, shovel in hand. 

The Most Dangerous Man in the Room

In a large banquet hall, ten people sit at a rectangular, oak table. The patrons are well-dressed in formal gowns and suits with bowties respectively. A man is whispering into a woman's ear. She is laughing so hard she almost spills red wine on her sleek black dress. She is wearing a small diamond solitaire ring. Princess cut, 2 carats, D colorless and VVS1 clarity. Seven of the patrons are carousing and merry. In their gaiety, they are oblivious to the only other man at the table with a wedding ring. Sitting across from the woman in black is a man grinding his teeth. He sits with hands folded uncomfortably and stares intently at the most dangerous man in the room.

Misery

A large, expansive living room.
The space is organized around a gas fireplace adjacent to the west wall.
A pristine brown leather love seat occupies most of the eastern wall.
A modern coffee table sits on maple hardwood floors. Angular and made mostly of glass, it is neatly accompanied by magazines and remote controls.
The walls, pained eggshell, are covered with black and white photos. The works of Ansel Adams and an digital prints of twin infants dressed alike are prominently displayed.
Houseplants are hung from the ceiling in beige pots.
An old green recliner makes a home near a reading lamp. The lamp rests on a Marshall 4X10 1965 speaker cabinet. It is mostly dressed in duct tape and the grille is barely hanging on. It's flipped on its side exposing castors rusted from beer, humidity and sweat. It is being used like an end table.

9-5 (a diptych)

i) Day
A pigeon sits perched on a ledge in early morning. It's feathers are ragged and the sun reluctantly peaks through the tallest buildings. It peers across the street to a bus stop. Half a dozen people are huddled under the shelter. An old woman awkwardly leans on her walker while a man reads the Times on the bench. A world war separates them. Her face lived through it; his hasn't. His brown leather briefcase occupies the second seat. A young man in a Louis Vuitton suit impatiently checks his watch. The others yawn and sip paper cups of coffee.

ii) Night
The sun has retreated behind the buildings. It is dark downtown because the buildings shield the sun's heroic last efforts. The same six people wait at the bus stop under the shelter. A homeless man sits outside the shelter jingling coins in a paper cup. Briefcase tucked neatly between his legs, the businessman sits trying to keep his distance. The old woman clutches her purse with both hands on her lap. The young man stands in the exact position, still looking at his watch. The others are yawning.

The bird is dead. It lies outside its nest on the concrete ledge.