Stories

I told her there were four words I wanted to keep. I wanted them safe and close, ideally under the dermis. What words were those? I explained the girlfriend, the question, the answer, the flood of joy and terror, the silence that settled in after. She nodded and started by marking SURE over my heart.

The surface of the monolith is perfectly smooth and reflective, and whatever it mirrors appears as if lit from within. In its black glass, you see yourself glowing and flawless and alone in a dark sea of stars. Where in the world are you?

Is this why fanatics fast, because it makes you feel like you’re on another level? I look into your faces and I do feel better than you. I know I am. I’m in too much pain not to be.

My father’s new girlfriend was always getting beaten up. I never saw her unbruised, never without some greenish touches lingering across her cheekbone. Or it might be the odd scratch, a little thicker than a cat’s claw, a little finer than a knife.