"Mountain Blood" by Cary Bayless

"Mountain Blood" by Cary Bayless is about a man who wants to forget his past, but also wants to have the past back in his hands. Chad Grune is a young man weighed down by the murder of the woman he loved, as well as the guilt of surviving the ordeal when he was supposed to be the next victim. The conflict between the overwhelming feelings of guilt and regret and Grune's desire to not dwell on the past create an inner tension that the reader can feel. Grune is forced to confront his feelings of guilt, however, when he loses the ring he gave Julia before she died. Beau, Grune's room mate tells him that he needs to release his regret and move on with his life, which seems to be the point of Bayless' piece.

The first person point of view works very well for this short story. As I stated, the reader can identify the feelings of regret and guilt that the main character has because we as readers know what he is thinking. This style also works well for the flashbacks because they flow through the story like normal thoughts -- persistent and circular. Another aspect of the story that works well is the mix of dialogue and action between Beau and Chad. Instead of straight dialogue with minimal dialogue cues, the characters did things - drinking, changing clothes - while the spoke, which seemed very natural, especially for the characters, the subject of their dialogue, and the fact that they are drinking.

I think something that could enhance the story would be a bit of back story on Chad and Beau's job, and how Chad came to be there. Was it Chad's idea, or maybe his parents? Is it just a job, or is this an internship, or maybe even a protection or emotional healing program? The setting of the mountain is key to the story due to the lost ring, but is there a reason Grune didn't go to work next to the ocean where the same thing could happen? The reader is made to understand that Grune went to the mountain to escape, but why and how?