Robert Gray
3
Ten-year-old Maya skipped lightly while returning home from her friendAlice’s house. The air was warm and the sun felt fresh on her face. She turnedback, amused by the accompanying silhouette that skipped with her. The housesshe passed were nestled behind small picket fences; some were painted, othersexposed bare wood. Each home attempted to be unique while still maintaininguniformity.Maya heard the summer songs of children laughing, the
wah-pish
of poolwater splashes and the
thwap-ta-thwap
of her flip-flops as they smacked from heelto sidewalk. The smells of barbecues and pools made her nose twitch and hertummy rumble.A satchel hung on her back, which she filled with items discovered on hertravel home: small rocks, sunflowers and twigs picked from the sidewalk.She had been down this street many times, but today she decided toexplore new streets on her way home. Perhaps she would find somethingdifferent to add to her satchel.A right turn greeted her with fragrant buds that colored the yards andgrew through cracks in the sidewalk. As she retrieved an orange flower, severaldogs greeted her by a fence and wagged their tails with playful curiosity. Shereached her hand through a slat to pet the dogs and each offered wet kisses inreturn.She made another turn. Speckles of light pierced the branches, offeringher shadows on the sidewalk to jump to and from. The houses were smaller andcloser together, some with faded paint, others with a shudder or two broken,others still with stripped and broken porches. Then the houses ended and Mayasaw a field of velvety grass, which reached her knee. She skipped through thegrass and laughed as the blades tickled her legs.At the fields end, she noticed a small deli. Its windows boarded with aspray painted sign that read CLOSED. The deli attracted her. Patches of thesame tall, velvety grass grew between fractures in the cement, and scents ofapple, mint and smoked meat held in the air.Maya skipped down the parking lot. She was rewarded with wildflowers,each with green-ridged leaves and thin stems, vibrant with oranges, pinks, andpurples that lay in a small patch alongside the deli. She grabbed the flowers bythe handful and felt the cool buds rub against her skin.Behind the deli, Maya gazed at a dumpster framed with tall weeds. Nextto the dumpster, she saw a raised mound with a single rose rooted at the center.She moved to the mound, which sunk under her foot and pulled down a flip-flopfrom her toes. She moved aside leaves and earth to free the flip-flop. She sawteeth, all of them dirty and twisted. The mouth and eye sockets filled to the brimwith earth and filth. A purple and rotted slash forged the neck. And somethingthat reminded Maya of the knots tied at the ends of small purple balloonsscattered the dead man’s arms.
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Very cool offer. Thanks.
Thanks NIELZINE. Awesome profile pic, by the way.
hey thanks! Krampus is the Man! Very excited to read more of your stories!! I have a FREE ZIne outta California. I support writers and Bands, artist..If you ever have a story to kick down send at will. I do small runs of one hundred. Bars, Coffee Shops, etc. Agian i don not sell them!! FREE ART FOR THE MASSES Later.
gnarly.