by Mikki Aronoff

Gina slumps into the utility room, dragging the wicker basket across the floor. She leans over the washing machine, raises the lid. As she jiggles the drum, she imagines ancient widows beating black clothes against rocks in icy, rushing streams, sheep bleating nearby. Gina lifts the pile of his clothes to her nose, sniffs smoke and sweat. Cheeks slicked, she clicks the wash selector from hot to cold and back again, lets the laundry fall back into the basket over and over—a robot stuck in replay, each time insisting “Again,” each time retracing her steps, heels scuffing linoleum. “Just…one…more…time.”

Mikki Aronoff lives in New Mexico, where she writes tiny stories and advocates for animals. She has stories in Best Microfiction 2024 and 2025 and Best Small Fictions 2024 and 2025. She is a co-author of the book, Neverafters.

Editor’s note: Mikki’s story, “Dysphagia,” was published by The Citron Review in 2024. It’s recently been republished with commentary over at Charlotte Hamrick’s excellent nonfiction journal, SugarSugarSalt.