Keys to an Empty House

“The face is familiar. Elihu knows he can easily place it. He doesn’t complete the thought because the young man speaks… ‘My name is Ethan Haas. My mother is Emily Haas. You’re my father.’”

In his twenties Elihu Goulding was a famous, award-winning author of two novels. His work brought fame and fortune and yet he stopped writing. Instead, he traveled, renting various places in which to live. Each time he appreciated the solitude of his newest surroundings.

Now Eli is entering his senior years and adapting to his latest rental, a New York City brownstone. One day, while taking a shower, Eli hears the front door buzzer ring, followed by assertive thumps from the door knocker. Once he is dressed and has decided the disturbance must be addressed, Eli opens the door to find a carbon copy of his younger self. Whether Eli likes it or not, an unknown chapter in his life is about to begin.

David Finkle is a writer and journalist focusing on the arts and politics. Based in Manhattan, he is the author of People Tell Me Things, a story collection, The Man With the Overcoat, a novel, Humpty Trumpty Hit a Brick Wall, rhyming verses and illustrations about the Trump White House, and Great Dates With Some Late Greats, a story collection. He is currently a theater critic for New York Stage Review and has contributed to many publications, including The New York Times, The New York Post, The Village Voice, The Nation, The New Yorker, and New York. He is heard weekly on The Hour of Lateral Thinking, the podcast. Photo: Bruce Cratsley.