Two Beginings

Crickets droning the heat of post midsummer if all the windows were cracked in this hot box paper thin house after the sun some small relief could seep in but they weren’t. We all wanted to sleep on the floor except for Madison who wanted to sleep under the house. He was brilliant that way. I couldn’t stomach the thought of things crawling on me.

That was a summer of upheaval. I was out of work again. Going for a fourth bold new venture. Oh, but things were different this time, this time I took it seriously, I thought.

***

The wind blew the door open over and over. It was not for uncertainties sake that he minded. It was the expectation that with each opening some wonderful thing would come but all that came was the wind. Yet with each opening something wonderful had come for isn’t the wind itself a wonder? Not to burden himself too deeply he got up to secure the door.

As he reached it the thought, “I shall be bald.” Crossed his mind and he heard himself breathing, the sound came to him as if it were a small wheezy creature hovering an inch from his right cheek. “Man, get a hold of yourself” he said hugging his arms in. The door blew open once more hitting him on the forehead. He pushed it shut, but lacking a good latch the comedy would replay.

“There are doors,” a voice said, “that cannot remain shut.” This made no sense. He let it be.

Next he found he was expecting Stacy to be behind him but Stacy was dead, had been for three years.

Sacrifice

Maxine stood in the gas station and tapped the carton of cigarettes. There were three left. Without thinking too hard she pulled out one of them and lit it. She had smoked her entire life. At least she didn’t remember a time without these long pale friends.

The mood was not happy. After this pack was done there could be no more.

Her daughter had screamed at her, “If you never smoked again, we would all be better off.” There was a basement full, a shaft full, of people who would be better off.

The street rippled before her as she walked. She chanted, “light, last cigarette/ last light cigarette/ last light ever cigarette.”

On the ground in the gutter under the window behind the warehouse lay a little black shriveled thing on its back. Something had to die.