Layla has legs that stop traffic, like the ordinary stride of Lester’s steps that usually know nothing about yellows and reds. She whisks him with a linen swish on the corner of eighth that evokes the question, ‘Why don’t you let me buy you lunch?’ Layla drinks dirty grey goose martinis with her left hand and a temporary expectation of Lester saying something other than, ‘That’s a lovely watch, are you concerned about the time?’...
Agnes has lips that bleed when she smiles. She’s driving down twisting back roads somewhere east. The windows of the 1976 Plymouth Duster are rolled down. Her summer world smells like fresh cut grass. The luminous linger of 8.30pm during daylight savings. The strength of the sun dips into warm rest. The car is stolen. Agnes drinks chocolate stout and often says ‘Yes’ when she really means ‘No.’ This isn’t a habit of weak will. She...
‘I’m sorry,’ says Dad feeling completely weak beside the force of this young stranger, ‘I thought…’ ‘I’m not talking to you,’ says the girl placing the palms of her hands over her eyes. Her fingers are decorated with gold rings that bear different religious symbols. There’s a crucifix, a pentacle, an Om symbol, and a Star of David. She drops her hands from her face and screams to the sky, ‘Go away!’ Dad is startled by the...
A hippy looking lady in her thirties with stringy brown hair that matches her big bug eyes says, ‘If a ghost is talking to you, you should listen man. That’s what it’s all about. Listening to what they have to say so that they know we’re peaceful creatures.’ Uncle Randy somehow manages to reply to every query. ‘No I don’t know her, I don’t know anything about her. We don’t use her! We only use technologically advanced...
There seems to be bad vibes all through the audience now. A group of three actually got up and walked out. The girl is staring at Dad and Uncle Randy like she hates them. I wonder why she’s so angry. Dad has one of his hands raised to Uncle Randy in an effort to calm him down. I’m not sure how he does it, but eventually Randy chills out. He props himself on a stool with a defeated expression. ‘We believe that our work helps people,’ says...