LitMag Wave: Lunch Hour Stories No. 22

Issue No. 22 of Lunch Hour Stories is “The Dead Pilot” by Gary Cuba. Despite the grim title, it’s a fun story about a backwoods South Carolina community and, in particular, Jimmy and his coon hound Horace, who are interesting variations on a corny stereotype. The skeletal remains of an Air Force pilot are discovered by Horace on Jimmy’s property. The explanation for how this old skeleton appeared where it did is sketchy, but not crucial to the story. And Jimmy does the right thing by trying to report the find to the Air Force. They, however, are a bundle of red tape and don’t want to hear what Jimmy has to say. So Jimmy comes up with his own solution to the problem. The result is a comedy that might remind you of “My Name is Earl” or maybe even the “Dukes of Hazzard.” Definitely worth the read.