The Simplicity of it All
He took the bandanna from his friend. He wrapped it tight and pulled it snug with his teeth. His teeth and gums and lips and the missed strand of hairs around the corners of his mouth become wet with saliva as the muscles relax. He lets go of the bandanna, lays back, and passes out, and a few… later.
In the morning, his blue tinged lips and pale face is transparent from the sun burning through bleached pink sheets stuck up with tacks. His friends eventually awake, take stock of their situations, and notice the peculiarity of their friend. They wonder, and look at each other, the events unwind, unravel, so to speak.
He got off the phone and went downstairs. He walked past his mom and into the garage.
His mom in the kitchen preparing the night’s dinner. She went to the fridge. She looked at the ingredients neatly arranged for accessibility. She grabbed two eggs.
Discarding the cracked egg shells she noticed that the trash was quite full. She pulled the red stretch cords and made a simple loop. She opened the door to the garage, flipped the light switch, and her son silently hung from the exposed crossbeam.
Arms length apart they bend over and spread their cheeks. They straighten up. They are weighed and measured. They piss in front of a man that stands straight and appears stern. ‘Everything seems well enough,’ they tell them.
‘Talk to your recruiter. You’re going to be a soldier, a true freedom fighter.’
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