THIRD PLACE

The psychic told Harold he’d soon discover the woman with whom he’d spend the rest of his life. Harold was thrilled. At 48, he still lived with his mother and was ready to consider marriage. He was nervous. He hadn’t dated since high school.

“That’s because no one’s good enough for you,” his mother said, folding his underwear.

Six months passed without meeting anyone. Another psychic predicted the same, but added, “You’ve known her for years.”

Confused, he rushed home.

“Psychics are full of it,” he said.

“Not necessarily,” his mother smiled. “Dear, don’t you think we need a bigger place?”

Kathy Welch, 46, is not a nut, though she plays one from time to time in local Brüka theater productions. Welch said she likes to write about “quirky” people. The KTVN Channel 4 sales assistant lives in Washoe Valley with her husband and a cat named Squeak. She hasn’t done much imaginative writing, but recently she was turned on to putting words into satisfactory order by a creative writing class at Truckee Meadows Community College.