Mr. and Mrs. Wilson Consider Leaving Hallelujah Land, by Kalliopy Paleos

John & Lizzie Wilson from Boston, Mass. in Bradenton, Florida, photography by Joseph Janney Steinmetz (USA) 1951

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Mr. and Mrs. Wilson Consider Leaving Hallelujah Land

Heaven is gray with fluffy clouds above their heads, rising forever and ever. Only the razor-sharp needles of the trees may reach up from the ground to touch it. The horizon holds surveillance from the other side of the camp, peering over the sea. The Wilsons bow their heads over their work, satisfied. Lizziegirl waters the garden, hoping for beans. Jojo prepares his sinker and bait, happy with his long rod. 

Every morning at 9:30, steady as steady can be, Jojo says: “I can’t believe the hoopla them folks made about that whatchamacallit supposed to blow us all over.” That’s when Lizziegirl sets her watch, saying: “Yep. Tryin’ to sell us their old Arma-Geddin. More like a car parade, just with no hot dogs for sale.” Then he says, “Yyyyep . . . ” and sucks his tongue along his teeth. 

And so all the talking for the day is finished. 

In the evening, Birdie in the Cage chirps to Birdie in the Garden. Lizzie and Jojo record every trill carefully in their steno books. After dinner they strike a match, light their little lamp, and compare what they heard. They're no fools, they know it's important to keep up with the news. 

Then Jojo comes to find himself unsettled. In the afternoons, he's taken to asking, “Lizziegirl, you hear that sorta whirring noise?” But she’ll only say, “Jojo, you slept wrong, that’s all.” And she’ll keep watering the ground gone bare, collecting dead needles from the trees. “I tell you my Lizzie, this place don’t feel right no more. Better be gettin’ gone from here soon, I think.” For a long time before the very end, all Lizziegirl will say is, “Now hold on there, Jojo. Let’s see what Garden Birdie says, now that Cage Birdie’s up and gone.”

Kalliopy Paleos

Kalliopy Paleos studied contemporary American poetry at SUNY Brockport. She has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize as well as Best Microfiction for 2026 and completed her third full-length novel translation from Greek. Poetry and prose publications include 10 by 10 Flash Fiction, ERGON Magazine for Greek-American Arts and Letters, and Flash Boulevard. She is currently trying to improve her cooking, but it’s not going well. Her favourite place for time travel is the 18th century.