Circular Logic – A Short Story

I don’t answer the door. It’s an instinctive habit. Blake is at The Polis. He goes there for the fountains.

There is a disturbed young man who visits me in the afternoons. He likes to talk politics. It might be him. At the door I mean. But I can’t risk it.

I look at the magazine. It is next to the knife I used to cut my orange for breakfast. I stare at it and think of the ballet I attended the other night (and how the light in the car didn’t work so I couldn’t find my glasses).

There is Circular Logic. It only asks that I am obedient. It says if I obey then maybe. Maybe. Like a mom would when negotiating with her child a toy settlement. If he should be a good boy. For just a little bit at least okay. Just be a good boy.

I go to the bathroom medicine cabinet to get the rest of my whisky. There is another knock on the door and I get the same feeling that I have anytime someone responds to me.

I open my mouth to try to answer. Something like Go Away. Or Just Come In Already The Damn Thing Is Unlocked. But nothing comes out. So I pour my whisky sit on the toilet and drink instead.

Out the window there are some birds and electrical wires. The two are not connected. The birds are flying. They remind me of a girl at work who sometimes appears in the break room when I am there. She is cute. We have never spoken.

Finishing my drink I get up and get another and go to the front door and look out the peep-hole. There is no one there. I open the door to air out the house.

People are talking nearby. I can’t hear what they say. Circular Logic urges me to play Tony Bennett. I do though I don’t like him too much and lounge on the couch.

There was a story of aliens way out in space that I think about who invented an impulse drive that allowed them to be in two places at once. That way they did not have to leave their loved ones. I believe NPR reported it.

The young man disturbed of politics comes by and asks if he can come in. I don’t answer and just close my eyes. Circular Logic says I am being rude but I put on Tony Bennett for it so it doesn’t press the issue.

Disturbed comes in and takes one of my cigarettes. He is on a tear about the president. Or maybe on the national parks. It is kind of hard to follow what with Mr. Tony crooning and my general lack of interest. I fall asleep in hopes to avoid nausea. Blake should be back soon and he can sort everything out. He is always refreshed after visiting the fountains.

A Memorial in the Middle of the Park

Maddie sits with her grandparents in their parlor. They smile sweetly at her and she twists her red hair.

This room isn’t big enough for the three of us she thinks.

The bright afternoon is suffocating.

Is your mother doing well then Grandma Lan asks.

Yes well Maddie answers.

Good. Good. All so good.

Maddie wonders what is in the big wood chest under the window as she sips her ice tea. Granddad stares at her fingers as they twirl her hair.

Nervous about something he asks.

No.

Your chi is out of whack. You need to center yourself.

Yeah. Maybe.

Granddad has a long beard and smokes pot. She thinks he may be propositioning her some and stops twisting her hair.

What is in the chest Grandma Lan she asks.

Oh this and that. Mementos I have collected and saved over the years. There are some things that are for you after I pass away.

Maddie finds this disturbing but thanks her grandmother anyway.

I’ve got to go. For a walk she says as she stands and walks over to the door to put on the boots she just removed fifteen minutes ago. I need some fresh air and want to look around the neighborhood.

Would you like to help me prepare dinner when you come back Grandma Lan asks we are having BURR – REE – TOES.

Maddie takes note of a picture on the wall by the door of her father as a boy in a soccer uniform and leaves without answering. The air is hot and white. A moderately intoxicated man down the road wears sunglasses while driving his lawnmower.

The outside smells of corn and sulfur. Each house is distinct from the last that she passes, and all in various stages of care. She is stifled by all of the green that she sees.

There is a sense of familiarity that permeates the town. It feels to her as if she is living through a reoccurring dream. One that she always forgets the moment she wakes up.

Entering the commercial district Maddie dives into the entry way of a boarded up post office. She lights a cigarette. There are the voices of several teenagers nearby. Wanting to avoid them she decides to change the direction she was going to go when she leaves.

She ends up in a park located nearly in the center of town. At the bathrooms she buys a bottle of water from a vending machine.

There is a memorial in the middle of the park. A stone dome with ionic columns and a hole in its roof. Some people say the hole was caused by a meteor that crashed through the roof. Others speculate it was a piece of a doomed aircraft. The newspaper stated it was an unknown object that fell from the sky. Whatever it was it was removed long ago. The hole was left as a curiosity and town attraction though. Now none pay it any attention.

Maddie spots the teenagers that she heard back at the shutdown post office. She can tell them by the sound of their voices. There are three boys and two girls. They notice her and she knows it and straightens her skirt. She regrets her choice of shirts. A tight bright blue t-shirt.

Two weeks Maddie thinks two weeks and then…

And she doesn’t know. She does not know if it even matters.

You have another one of those Granddad asks appearing behind her. Not even aware she lit another cigarette Maddie offers him one by holding the box out. Thought you might want the company. Probably wrong though.

No. You’re not wrong.

Maddie lights his smoke and they are quiet for a while. The teenagers are at one of the park picnic tables. A boy jumps off of it. He splays his legs in a mock stage jump. He is wearing a green shirt with a Chinese Dragon which Maddie finds ridiculous.

It’s been a long time since you have been here. You were ten I think.

Eight.

Right. Is it a lot different Granddad looks into her eyes. She looks away. At her fingernails.

No. Not different at all.

Suppose not. Things don’t change here much.

Gazing back up to the hole she studies its jagged sharp edges. There is a reddish hue to them. It contrasts the pale white stone of the building.

Know what caused that Granddad asks.

A meteor.

No. The devil.

A devil fell from the sky she asks incredulous.

No. THE devil fell from the sky.

She laughs Why would the devil come here.

Who knows. Some believe he’s here still. Granddad puts out his cigarette on the trash can lid and smiles at her. Let’s go get some of Grandma’s burritos.

Maddie smiles back.

Buying a House – A Short Story

“So it is serious then?”

“Well, we bought a house.”

“Does it have a large lawn?”

“It does, yes.”

“Then that is serious. And fortuitous. Congratulations! I am sure the two of you will be very happy with long lives and whopping big children. Maybe they will all play basketball.”

“Thank you! But I am not sure about the basketball part. I am afraid we are both a little on the short end. And we like soccer better.”

“I would never have thought that. I mean, you I can see are, as you said, a bit on the small side. Though I would say petit would be a more suitable word. But him I vision a tall, masculine man with the grace of a cat. Like he was a lost child of Ginger Rodgers.”

“He is graceful. You have that right. But just not that tall. Actually, he pretty short.”

“A short, graceful man? You don’t say. Very peculiar.”

“And the back yard is large. The house, I mean. It has a large back yard.”

“And the front?”

“Quite small. Almost non-existent.”

“Hmm.”

“What?”

“Well, there is something about a large back yard only. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say it would be perhaps a need to hide something.”

“Do you really think so?”

“I’m sorry, but yes. It is all very psychological. Who chose the house?”

“Well, we both did. But he found it.”

“Did he?”

“Yes, and he said I would love it.”

“Do you?”

“I did. But now I don’t know. What could he be hiding?”

“It is hard to tell. Maybe a past event. Perhaps a secret lover. Or it could be a behavior he wants to make sure is not found out. Not knowing him better, I cannot really say.”

“Oh, but it all sounds too awful no matter what it is. What a terrible position I have found myself in.”

“Yes, you might want to take care.”

“I will. I will. But I don’t know what to do. What would you suggest?”

“Well if it were me, I would make sure to keep him away from liquor. And monitor his computer use. Does he use his phone much?”

“All the time.”

“Yes, that would have to change too.”

“That all makes sense. Except the liquor. He never drinks.”

“Really?”

“No. He will not touch a drop. He is very astute and serious. And he says drinking causes him to bloat and have gas.”

“That does sound sensible on his part. If that is the case, I would have him start to drink. It could be the thing to open his defenses and start to root out all his hidden secrets.”

“Of course! What a brilliant plan. You are a genius, you know. I mean it. With how you style your hair and all. It is like you are George Orwell and Margaret Thatcher all in one.”

“You are too kind. Such a tender compliment as I respect both with the utmost of satisfaction.”

“What drink should I start with, do you think?”

“I would go with something light, subtle, and demanding. Not vodka. It is too brutal. Oh, I know! Tequila! Yes. Specifically margaritas. Those will tempt the demon from him.”

“I hope it is not too dastardly a demon. I don’t think my heart can take it.”

“Oh dear, I am sorry to say but dastardly or not your heart is not safe. Demons of any size feast on the human heart. I would rather it be a large demon to have my heart be devoured all at once, instead of slowly like those little shit ones will do.”

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So this would be my second short story I have posted that is dialog only. They are fun and enjoyable to write. Sometimes I want to break in and add more narrative, or descriptions, but then I think it will spoil the story, so I keep myself in check. Hope you enjoyed and thank you for reading.

Marcello’s Revenge – Chapter 10 – Mustard Seed on Mars

Here is the last chapter of Part I of Marcello’s Revenge. This will conclude my postings of the novel. I am working on part two and hope to have it finished by the end of the year. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you very much for reading it. Feel free to comment as feedback is always welcome and appreciated. You can find all the chapters:

HERE

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I was in the common room of the Galloway Treatment Center. A large spacious area with rows of plastic folding tables with benches, and chairs lined up by large windows for their clients to enjoy the scenery. It was, all in all, a dining area, but called the common room as people would socialize there, play games, meet guests or family members, or just spend some time to themselves reading. There are no televisions in Galloway, but there is a centralized radio with speakers mounted in the ceiling of the common room and in the hallways, and over it The Circle Game was playing at a low volume.

A bright, nearly blinding white light caused by the morning sun reflecting off of the newly fallen snow and white clouds hanging heavy in the sky illuminated the room. There was only one occupant, an elderly woman I guessed from her short gray hair, sitting in an Adirondack chair, looking out a window with her back to me. I approached her, and at reaching her side found it to be Sophia. Her face was youthful, smooth and lovely as when we were just married, but her hands were wrinkled and marked with liver spots and thick blue veins, as aged as her hair. A plaid, woolen blanket covered her from the waist down, though it was quite warm in the room.

Marcello’s Revenge – Chapter 8 – Julie and The Alligator Man – Part I

Here is part one of chapter 8 of Marcello’s Revenge. A chapter I am not altogether satisfied with, to tell the truth. A necessary installment, but one I think rushes the narrative a bit. Though I am a bit undecided on how to edit and in an attempt to qualify Julie’s ease with Robin and her willingness to divulge information, I have attempted to rectify this, but feel more is needed, and perhaps a complete rewrite depending on the course of the narrative as it develops. I think it will eventually come down to it, but at this point am hesitant until I am more aware of the course it takes. But anyway, for those who enjoy long reads and have been following the story thus far, here is the first part. Hope you enjoy  and thank you for reading.

Earlier installments can be found:

HERE

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 Julie was in the shadows, between the light that spilled out of the open bedroom door and that which filled the front room. There was a heavy awkwardness, her schuncy eyes staring at me and the highball glass I carried where the unserviceable remnants of ice cubes and the pimpled green skin of a lime wedge gleamed. “Good morning,” I said in an attempt to ease the uncomfortable tension.

“Morning,” She said hesitantly, looking around and noting the location of the front door. “Where am I?”

“My house.”

“And who are you?”

“My name is Robin Mentor. And you are Julie Stills, correct?”

“Yeah, that’s right. How did I get here?”

“Francine and I brought you. She is the one who took you from the party out to our car. Oh, it was also she who got you ready for bed when we got here. If you should have had any concerns.”

“Who’s Francine?”

“My girlfriend.”

The Creature Wakes – A Short Story

Deep under the house, with its dark halls and rooms filled with the nostalgic talismans left by past occupants, the monster was woken. A creature whose shadow, hate and despair had years ago seeped down into the foundation and clung to the walls. With foul, venomous breath it infected the air as it took shape, grotesque and unseen. It rose, called by a desire to devour the love it felt had invaded its domain. Up the stairs it crept to the master bedroom and out to the balcony overlooking the long yard with its crumbling wall. There it spied the two girls playing near the fountain with their father sitting and writing at a table on the patio, and its heart was filled with an awful lust. But, as it lifted its gaze to the bordering woods, it saw a fox sitting in the shade of the trees. The fox’s eyes were fixed upon the creature with a curious smile twisting along its mouth. And the creature knew then the fox, yet it was too late to prepare a defense. Three piercing barks shot forth from the animal, and the creature felt its body dissipate in their wake. Its form shattered. However its spirit, potent and still dangerous, could not be undone, and it settled over and filled the house, hungering in the dark for death and disease. The fox, with a satisfied air about it, looked over to the girls, catching the older one’s gaze, and they became transfixed on each other

“Dad it’s a fox. Look!” the younger one yelled.

But before the dad could see the fox spun about and ran quickly off deep into the woods.

 

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This is really a scene I wrote which is a part of The Deerfields, and both belong to a longer piece I am writing. To read The Deerfields, you can find it here:

https://marcellosrevenge.wordpress.com/2013/07/09/the-deerfields-a-short-story/

Coffee and Crakers – A Short Story

“We are out of time and out of rice.”

“It’s no problem. I’ll just run out to the store.”

“No. No. It is a missed opportunity. The kids will be awake soon. And anyway my apron needs a washing.”

“You have at least a dozen aprons. Are they all in the laundry?”

“You are hopeless. We will never understand one another.”

“That’s true. We are too alike, perhaps. I didn’t really want to go to the store anyway.”

“Well at least the coffee is done brewing. We have that still don’t we? Would you like a cup? I have some fresh cream. And cherries.”

“Cherries just are not the same to me anymore. But I will take some coffee. Black please.”

He goes to the cupboard that smells of nutmeg. There is sugar and a loaf of bread, but he takes some crackers. They are dry and salty. She is thinking to herself, and it shows in the wrinkles by her eyes. Suddenly there is a knock on the door.

“Don’t answer it. I don’t think I can handle the news.”

“But what if it is only the postman trying to deliver a package?”

“Then he can leave a note.”

“But that is rather silly, isn’t it? I am sure he knows we are home.”

“It’s not the postman, and you know it.”

“I don’t care. I just want to drink my coffee and eat my crackers.”

“They will make you fat, you know.”

“Which one?”

“The hell with you. And that damn knocking. Fuck it. I am going to answer it. I cannot go back to sleep with all the coffee and excitement.”

“It is good to confront your fears. They help you to grow.”

“Fear keeps us safe, and makes us cowards. You more so than others. If you owned any type of bravery you would be the one answering the door.”

“But no longer be a coward. It would ruin your opinion of me, and then what would I be?”

“I don’t know. Something. Which is at least better than what you are now.”

“I see.”

“Do you?”

She answers the door and it is James. He shuffles his feet and will not meet her eyes, stumbling about with his words like a madman, trying to find the most delicate way to speak with her. It was his fault, he says, or she translates from the confusing jumble.

“James, please.”

“But…my wife…kids, they are everything to me. Please, you must know. How do I put it? I have been a wreck. I can’t sleep with her anymore. I am on the couch. There is a TV nearby so I watch commercials at two in the morning. I feel like I am drowning.,,”

“James, seriously. You sound drunk. Are you? No, don’t answer. I don’t really care. But you are embarrassing yourself. This is all too much, and is an awful bore. I have nothing to say to you. Go find yourself a gentle patch of grass and watch the trees grow for a while. That might give you some perspective.”

“Is Daniel home? Can I talk to him?”

“Oh yes, he is, but he will not want to speak with you. He is busy, you see, with crackers and coffee.”

“Well, will you tell him I am sorry?”

“No. Oh, I mean I am sure he heard the whole thing and is very indifferent to the affair. He means to paint, and is entirely wrapped up in that endeavor. This leaves him no time for the citizens of this world, like us, dangling by our knitting and our frailties. Now please, go away. I cannot take too much more of this. Come back to me, when your mind is right.”

“But..I…Oh, Helen, please. I…”

“Goodbye James.”

She closes the door and walks back to the dining room. Daniel has finished his crackers and is sipping his coffee softly watching the light on the grass, admiring the shades of yellow.

“I am not painting. Or even thinking of doing so. Why say such a thing?”

“James is threatened by you. He feels you are superior to him so I play to this indulgence of his.”

“An interesting tactic. What do you hope to gain from him?”

“Compassion. And he bears it. The poor fool. He feeds me his compassion and I drain him of it so soon he will be nothing but a cocoon with a rotting caterpillar inside. Oh, don’t look at me that way. What you have done is worse by far.”

“And what is that?”

“Destroyed me. I watch the kids sometimes. I love them. But I watch them as if I were outside myself, with my eyes vacant and my heart empty. No feeling. And it is because I am no longer here. And the pity is they don’t know it. They hug me and cannot feel the cold corpse that I am. It is funny. I thought about suicide, you know. Seriously considered it. But I knew that it would mean nothing. That here, now, I am dead. A void of life that can only look to others to destroy in turn.”

“And you blame me for this?”

“For everything.”

“Then why stay?”

“Because you do. You stay and it gives me the opportunity to kill you.”

“Love. Blind and fruitless.”

“And why do you stay?”

“I suppose it is due to the fact there is nothing else out there. Where would I go? It would all be the same and pointless.”

“There is Jenny. I better start breakfast for her.”

Marcello’s Revenge – Chapter 7: Baptism by Moonlight Part 1

Here is the first part of chapter 7 of Marcello’s Revenge. Part 2 will follow in the near future. The list for all installments and chapters can be found here:

https://marcellosrevenge.wordpress.com/marcellos-revenge/

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Julie is an attractive girl, around the same height as Francine, and, though thinner, pleasantly filled out the pajamas she wore with slender hips and shapely breasts. She has a sharp, angular nose, however, which distinctly contrasts with her pouty lips, and so when she scrunched her eyes at me that morning, standing as she was at the edge of the hall, it only served to further distort her features. Yet even with her confused face wrinkled like a distastefully aging lemon, her appearance that morning was a refreshing change to how she appeared the night before when she had to be guided about, moving in a trance-like manner with a dazed and glassy look. I took hold of her hand and got her to her feet, moving quickly to the door to the outside. After checking to make sure no one was outside, I led her away from the house in as casual and stealthy a manner as possible. The band had stopped playing and other than the distant sound of droning voices from the front lawn, as well as that of our own soft footfalls, everything was quiet. There was an unnaturalness about, lingering somewhere in the dark and the murmuring silence, a stifling heaviness, and I longed for a cricket’s chirp or the croak of a frog, but only the vague light of a half-moon low on the horizon was offered to ease my discomfort. I took her a little way down the hill and sat her amid a few trees that ran along the border of the Periwinkle property. Looking her in the eyes I told her to stay there for just a little while, then turned and went back to the house.

Once back inside, I heard Francine calling my name, which was good since it saved me from calling her as I was about to do. The current situation I was in demanded that I enlist help. I rushed and exited the rec room, shutting the door quickly behind me. She stood just inside the lounge, and, hearing me close the door, turned around to see me breathlessly smiling at her bewildered expression.

“Dearest! There you are. I was worried for a second. Are you feeling better?” she asked.

“Yes, darling, much better thanks.” And surprisingly I was, noticing just then that the pain and fuzziness brought about earlier by my condition was completely gone. “Listen, there is something I need you tell you,” I said in a hushed tone.

“What is it?” she whispered, following my lead.

“Matt has been murdered.”

The Deerfields – A Short Story

In time the Deerfields would come to feel more at home there. It was a lovely place with bright curtains and a white wrought iron table in the breakfast nook. The light on the flowerless blue vase, though, caused Lynn to cry and flee to the hollow darkness of a walk in closet. Dan coughed and let out a little chuckle. He nervously explained that the stress had been too much on Lynn, who was prone to emotional outbursts. The smaller child, Marla, stood partially behind him, clenching the back right leg of her father’s trousers. She was shielding herself from The Administrant, a short, thin man with a yellow and blue polka dot tie and thick fingers. He acknowledged Dan’s explanation with a curt yes. With his work complete, The Administrant handed Dan the keys, and reminded him that copies of all the documents were left on the desk in the study with the official ones to come by courier service in four to six weeks. His shoes did not make a sound as he left, and the door was shut with the sound of a barely audible click.

Marcello’s Revenge – Chapter 6: Meeting Francine Part II

Here is the second part of Chapter Six of Marcello’s Revenge. Again it is quite long. For part one of the chapter, and all previous installments, please follow this link:

https://marcellosrevenge.wordpress.com/marcellos-revenge/

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Francine and I did keep in communication. When her next birthday came around I sent her a card with a short note, and she responded with a thank you letter (written by her father) and asked for me to write again soon. This would lead to an eccentric correspondence lasting until we met again where at least once a month over the span of years we would exchange letters. Her father assisted in the beginning, but she told me that the letters were such an inspiration to her that it spurred her to studiously learn to read and write on her own. My letters mainly contained summaries of what was happening in my life, inquiries as to how she was doing, and responses to what she may have written, or answers to questions she may have posed. Sometimes I would include a short story that I wrote off the cuff that were generally about animals in the same vein as Beatrix Potter. As she grew older I spoke a little more freely, but for the most part kept my life reserved.         

Her letters became more personal and mature, though, speaking quite openly (and sometimes uncomfortably frankly) about her life, her views, and her fears.

A fear has crept upon me recently, dearest cousin, she wrote me when she was twelve. A strangling feeling, and my breath comes in short gasps. I fear for you! For the words you have not written and what lies beneath them. There is a shadow there. And one not caused by lack of light. I feel it most acutely in the darkness in between my dreams, and during the silent mornings of the desert.