Review: A Dark Story in a Dark Bar
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 11, 2011
I was very drawn to the title of this story because I couldn't imagine what a story with a title like this would be about.  I soon found out that it's about a man who finds a rundown bar next to a slaughterhouse where some of the light bulbs are burned out and the bar stools are patched up with duct tape.  This man's hands smell like bleach, which he thinks is a good smell and indicates a clear conscience. The bar has no name, but it will provide a good alibi for the man who just walked in smelling of bleach.As the man sits at the bar, an older man comes up to sit beside him and offers to buy him a drink.  He starts telling about how his son does nothing to help him, but his grandson does.  He doesn't speak too favorably about either one, but at least his grandson Malcolm will come to his aid if he really needs it.  He's getting too old and needs help with some things around the house.The man in the bar realizes there is a connection between himself and the older man's grandson, Malcolm.  He recognizes the name.  From this point on in the story, it gets darker and definitely cleaner.  Read the story and you'll understand why.I really liked this.  It almost seemed like a modern day western because of the dark bar and the trouble that brews in it.  One character gets the wool pulled over his eyes, and it's a very cleverly written story, and now the title makes sense.