CJ Woods III’s Story Archive

Finger Licking: Bad

March 19, 2026 | by CJ Woods III

“I don’t know why I keep licking my finger to turn the page on my tablet,” the choral director murmured, and I thought: Why are you licking your finger at all? During the Covid-19 pandemic people were made aware of Locard’s principle of transfer, something that I read about in … Read More

Call Me Anytime

March 12, 2026 | by CJ Woods III

On several of the police shows that I watch, an officer will give a business card to someone, and say to that person, “Call me if you need me.” I wondered about that commitment when I first saw that exchange, but after the 900th time that I’ve seen and heard … Read More

Doing

March 5, 2026 | by CJ Woods III

One day, while sitting at the counter of my favorite cidery, dithering away the day, I heard, not for the first time, a customer’s response to a server’s inquiry about what items they wanted from the menu: “I’m gonna do …” the customer began, and I ground my back teeth … Read More

Bus Business to Good Trouble

February 26, 2026 | by CJ Woods III

On Thursday, February 12th, my neighbor sent me a message saying that she was going with another of our neighbors to an event at the Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis; she invited me to join them, saying that they were going to take the bus. I responded with enthusiasm, telling … Read More

Flip-flop Flap

February 19, 2026 | by CJ Woods III

One recent January day when I was waiting for my turn at the pool table, the proprietor of the establishment came in from the 30-degree night wearing flip-flops. I glanced at his bare toes, some of which sprouted a small crop of black hairs, and shook his hand in greeting. … Read More