The Words Fall Into Ash
I once heard someone say, “God answered the wrong prayer”. A little girl said that. The words kind of just fell out of her mouth unintended to ever be heard, but we all heard them. Fuck. We understood them. The mother tried to capture the words mid syllable but her hands lacked quickness and her yells and pitched noises distracted no one.
The two were huddled in a corner of an alley, joined by some others that I'm sure wandered into the darkness when they realized they were far from alone. That alley was the one off Market Street. I used to steal candy from the corner shop when I was nine, but now that whole damn place is blanketed by rubble and is where the baby wolves get born. The girl's mother looked at me hoping I could console her little one but I said nothing. I just checked the strength of my fingers and palms by making tight fists.
Maybe God answered his own prayer I thought. Maybe His prayer was one to be done with us, we had burdened him for far too long that he just wanted to go be a lonely God and be free to fuck the silence. The mother and daughter nuzzled and cried while I sank my arms into the open heart of the trash piles wondering, will I ever touch something delicious with my mouth ever again.
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Author's Note
Thank you for reading, or thinking about reading. You're lovely.
This story is the opening to a piece that breaks down into numerous sections. One of the sections was featured on decomP.
There is an audio version of this piece on my blog. I sound like I am in an empty stomach.
That last line is wonderful.
I agree, great last line.
Good stuff, Matt.
Thank you all!
"be free to fuck the silence"--
and a killer final line. Really good.
Thanks so much Cami.
Very strong. Makes me want to read the whole thing.
Kathy, Thanks so much. The ending part of the series is on decomP under the title of 'Death Ensemble'. I hope to get a fondness over the other parts of the story to share, but right now I'm shaky at its sight.
Matt -- so glad to have read this. Strong voice, well-paced. That last image will haunt me. Off to decomP and yr blog to check out the rest.
This story is perfectly bookended by the first and last line. Each so powerful, with meaty power stuffed between. Nice work.
Julie, Thank you so much for the blessed words on this.
Caleb, Thank you! I am smiles.
Compelling, desolate,disturbing. You captured a kind of "Clockwork Orange" feeling in this short fiction. I like that the voice has no "pretense", no bullshit.
Susan, Thanks so much!