‘Spam Can’
— Reneé Bibby
Kate Garklavs flash fiction, ‘Spam Can’ is a sweet homage to the secret places of childhood. Writing from a visual prompt for the Midwestern Gothic Flash Fiction series, Garklavs zeros in on that special ability of children to transform any unsupervised space into their own kingdom. The titular above-ground bomb shelter has all the charms that I and my siblings used to seek out for our adventures: it was built by adults (sharp edges everywhere!), is in a state of disrepair that begs for your tender love and care, is very much off the beaten path, and might, if you don’t step just right, give you tetanus.
With just a few phrases Garklavs captures the unique property of these places, how they form interesting time/space bubbles of accelerated growth—young people taking to the dark soil of secrecy like mushrooms, exploring their own imaginations, hurts, desires, and sexuality. Like all people, the narrator of Garklav’s story outgrows the refuge, but her final salute to the old bomb shelter is a thank you to all the spaces that have shaped us.