Buck, naked
by Frank Dahai
Buck, naked, has no words. The best he can manage is a dopey strangulated cough. His wife, who is clothed, stands before him, next to a mattress that took Buck half a day to force into the trailer.
'Make a ...'
'Please,' says Buck.
'...mischievous face. A mischievous little boy face.'
Buck tilts his head and angles his eyes, aiming for insouciance.
'No.' says his wife.
Buck thinks mischievous. Imagines stealing a biscuit. Then a van load of biscuits. Then a van driven by a crazy-naked mermaid, breaking the speed limit, Buck leaning out the window, waving his Stetson, screaming like a cowboy that just found god.
'Yes, that's it!'
She pushes down hard on the Polaroid. It snaps and whirs, spitting Buck out onto a small square of emulsion. She takes it, stares at it, and pins it on the notice board next to all the rest: Buck, angry. Buck, unhappy over a lost balloon. Pleasantly surprised. Caught in the zipper. Caught in the act. Caught again and again and again, over and over, ad infinitum.
'Make a ...'
'Please,' says Buck.
'...mischievous face. A mischievous little boy face.'
Buck tilts his head and angles his eyes, aiming for insouciance.
'No.' says his wife.
Buck thinks mischievous. Imagines stealing a biscuit. Then a van load of biscuits. Then a van driven by a crazy-naked mermaid, breaking the speed limit, Buck leaning out the window, waving his Stetson, screaming like a cowboy that just found god.
'Yes, that's it!'
She pushes down hard on the Polaroid. It snaps and whirs, spitting Buck out onto a small square of emulsion. She takes it, stares at it, and pins it on the notice board next to all the rest: Buck, angry. Buck, unhappy over a lost balloon. Pleasantly surprised. Caught in the zipper. Caught in the act. Caught again and again and again, over and over, ad infinitum.
|
1
fav |
1034 views
8 comments |
178 words
All rights reserved. |
Author's Note
The author has not attached a note to this story.
Other stories by Frank Dahai
Tags
This story has no tags.
Comments
You must
log in
to post comments.
Without the comma this was Costanza's porn name, right? That was my first thought when I saw the title.
"...spitting Buck out on a small square of emulsion." YES
I love how the last sentence opens this thing up so much and I feel like I know so much about this couple in so few words. Damn fine work.
Frank that's wonderful - such imagery.
Love the bit about waving his Stetson, screaming like a cowboy that has just found god. Terrific title, too.
Thanks everyone for your comments.
Biscuits and mermaids - I like Buck's imagination. A few small graphs, and we know the good, bad and ugly about these people. Nicely done.
Love this, Frank. I love the "Buck, unhappy over a lost balloon." And how that last sentence stretches toward the "ad infinitum."
Thanks again!
Compressed. Funny. Sad. Compelling.
Cool!