Pushcart 2026 L: Marie Goyette, “Freefall” from Story Quarterly #56

Emmanuel Shiu: “Freefall” (detail) Maxi spots the body. Look, she says, pointing toward the ditch on the edge of Mr. Anderson’s property. But Ben doesn’t look, not at first. His eyes are trained on the road beneath his feet. Twice around the neighborhood, the woman said. The faster they’re done, the sooner she’ll let them back in the house. Ben pushed back this time. “It’s really cold,” he said. “Is it even safe for us to be out there?” The woman chuckled at this. “Just bundle up good as you can. It’s good for you, believe it or not. It’s good for all of us.” “Look,” Maxi says again, grabbing her brother’s hand and forcing him to stop walking. “There.” She points again, and, this time, Ben looks. In the ditch, atop a mound of crusted gray snow displaced by a city plow, there’s the crumpled form of an animal. Its mottled black and gray fur is wet and matted. When Ben steps closer, he sees that it’s a dog. “It’s not dead,” says Maxi. “It’s blinking its eyes.” She yanks hard on her…