Open Stories — Short Fiction by Hank Redding

At the turn of the millennium, a younger brother listens as the distance between home and the West steadily widens. Through late-night phone calls, a brief reunion, and the quiet aftermath of loss, Westbound traces how motion becomes a way of living—and how staying can be its own, deliberate choice. The story examines direction, consequence, and the moment when forward movement finally meets its limit.

A man returns to the places shaped by a decision he never corrected. The story follows the quiet aftermath of choice—measured not in regret or forgiveness, but in what remains when a life is stood by without apology.

After a late-season storm exposes what cannot be held, a quiet laborer and a small town decide what is worth repairing. Where the Fence Was Mended is a Western story about loss, restraint, and the steady work that allows life to continue.

In 1903 Montana, a widowed woman walks the upper Missouri River, keeping to the water as long as the land allows. As the corridor tightens and the river withdraws its accommodation, she is forced to choose a direction not measured by distance or return. Where the River Narrows is a quiet Western story about grief, endurance, and continuation when the familiar path ends.