James Mulhern

The Guard

James Mulhern

I sit in the pew next to the stained glass of Veronica wiping the face of Jesus. I enjoy the play of light— red, gold, and green illuminations.

Jesus, a wooden cross covering his white tunic and carmine cape, bends down and speaks to Veronica, a peaceful woman in blue and white.

She holds a cloth to wipe his face. What does Jesus say to her? Thank you, I suppose. The guard behind them watches.

Is he a sad witness? Does he have doubts like me? Perhaps he listens, as I do, for an illumination. Or maybe he simply wants to escape the searing sun.

James Mulhern’s writing has appeared in literary journals over two hundred times and has been recognized with many awards. In 2015, Mr. Mulhern was granted a writing fellowship to Oxford University. That same year, a story was longlisted for the Fish Short Story Prize. In 2017, he was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Two of his novels were Finalists for the United Kingdom’s Wishing Shelf Book Awards. His novel, Give Them Unquiet Dreams, is a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year. He was shortlisted for the Aesthetica Creative Writing Award 2021 for his poetry. Mulhern now lives in Florida.