Equinox and Other Stories

Among the most finely crafted of all the novels and stories by Robert Hays, "Equinox" has been praised for its poetic language and its authentic natural setting that lets the reader see the world through the eyes of Essie, an aging widow whose only companionship is her beloved cat Plato. Essie’s home, once filled with the sounds of happy children, is quiet and lonely now that even the grandchildren are grown and gone. She expected more from life when she married Arthur. He had his shortcomings, but he was a good man who provided well for her until he was killed in an accident at the mine. Essie takes comfort in her natural surroundings—the sunny hillside Arthur chose for a home site, the trees he planted so many years ago, the flowers and shrubs she tends with loving care.

But it seems that this winter has gone on forever, and Essie is low on hope. She spends her time dreaming of things that might have been. When she was a girl, before she met Arthur, men found her pretty and desirable. Oh, the way that Mr. Pratt looked at her! But those days are gone and will never come again. Now it takes Plato, always at her side, to make the discovery that once again brightens her outlook on life.

"The Lottery Prize" is a tragi-comedy with a surprising conclusion. Could any among the townspeople who accept the aging Mardel brothers as an integral part of the everyday comings and goings in the community ever have imagined what the two would do if they suddenly came into money?

The third second story in this modest collection is "Paco's Visions." Twelve-year-old Paco and his older sister, Rosa, live with Mama Jan in Mr. Sebastian’s mansion on Sanibel Island. Mama Jan—not really their mother—was hired by Mr. Sebastian as permanent housekeeper. Paco’s first vision is an image of Marmalade, the tortoiseshell tomcat, being eaten by an alligator, a painful scene he is reluctant to share. Old George, the handyman, explains to him where visions come from and says they may or may not come true.

Mama Jan still harbors feelings for Christien Dupuis, Mr. Sebastian’s yacht captain, who brought them on the boat to Sanibel from New Orleans. Paco likes the captain, too, and wishes he could replace the father Paco doesn’t remember. Mama Jan learns that Mr. Sebastian is coming to the island, aboard his yacht, knows Christien will be coming too, and goes into a frenzy of preparation, determined to make everything perfect. Mr. Sebastian and his new young bride stay in one of his condos and Christien and his two crewmen stay at the mansion. Paco has a second vision in which he sees Christien standing with Mama Jan and waving goodbye as Mr. Sebastian’s yacht sails away.

Paco's happy vision comes true and the story ends in a celebration of new-found love and togetherness. But what about poor Marmalade?

Even as Paco's story is largely a happy one, the final story, "An Unpastured Dragon," is one of despair. The confessions of a sociopath lead the reader into the mind of a man who finds no value in human life. He feels no remorse as he waits for a jury to decide whether he is to receive the death penalty after a conviction for murder. He has come to admire his defense attorney, a young black woman who knows he is guilty but believes he should be spared capital punishment. As he views her dedication to a cause she believes in, it is as if he is coming to realize, for the first time, that even though his own life doesn't matter the lives of others might.

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