No Face World Champ
He had a thing for gimps. Scanning pages of para- Olympic competitors, surfers riding the shark munch waves, cutting out photos of stumps, prosthetics, limbs that were missing, unattached, removing more and more in his mind until he was rubbing a rubbed out image. Shadows of his former wheel-chaired marathon racers, downhill ski racers with singular poles. The last time he saw his psychic, she told him you're gonna die within six months. Her prediction nearly took over his fantasies of stubby limbs, of one-eyed jacks, of spinal biffs. Instead, he started a support group for People With Missing Limbs (PWML) and posted it all over the social networks, and Craig's List. The first meeting attracted a large crowd, but he was completely unprepared to respond when Patty, a dwarf who had gone through recent gender reassignment, whose toddler feet had done a tango with a lawnmower, asked him, “So what are you doing here?”
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Author's Note
Published in August, 2014 at theNewer York. Thanks editor Josh Raab!
Published in RIFT (Unknown Press, 2015)
Other stories by Robert Vaughan
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Aw, see? These things you write...nobody else does this like you. Big fave, Robert.
I connect with the visceral brutality of this one, I feel like I'm watching a David Cronenberg movie written as a flash with some humor, humor that's 'the straight dope'.
"People With Missing Limbs (PWML)"
that's everyone I know ...
*
*faving Bud Smith's comment...
Great punch line. *
@ Kathy: humbled by your lovely comments. A thousand thanks!
@Bud: so happy we met at that last PWML meeting in P-town!
@ Mathew: thanks man! Appreciate the read.
Intellectual postmodernism delivered with a "fuck you" mentality.*
Hahaha, thanks Amanda. Great assessment! xo
Fascinating and surreal as only you write. I knew someone like this, oddly enough. Fave.
Thanks Theo, for your support. Always appreciated.
*
Thanks, Oliver!
Crazy fixation with brutish imagery. Cronenberg or David Lynch...take your pick. So good.
Thanks, Andrea!
kind of a Cronenberg/O'Connor mash up going on here! ****
Jane, you got it! Thanks!
Love it, Rob. Miss reading your work. Trying to get back into the Fictionaut groove. xo
A pleasure to read. Reminded me of Tod Browning's film Freaks - Good piece, Robert. *
@ Loren: So nice to see you here again! And anyplace, for that matter. Thanks for reading and the comments.
@ Sam: Your comments and support are always so appreciated, Sam. I've not seen the movie "Freaks," so I will now. One of the impetus's for this was studying more of Diane Arbus's work.
I loved this strange tale, reminds me of David Lynch. *
*, Robert. A perfect close for this fine, creative and well-written story. The fella must have loved circus sideshow tents.
@ Wally- thanks so much for the reference to David Lynch, one of my favorite creative personas.
@ David, he sure did! Thanks for the comments and fave.
Weird, vertiginous, off balance and out of whack in the most delightful ways. Yes. David Lynch and Fellini.*
and Diane Arbus too!
Michael: thanks so much for reading this one. Yup, one of the stranger pieces to hit my pad. So glad you enjoyed it.
Clever one, RV! Nice work.*
Cool, Robert. Cool and slick and shiny. I like it.
@ James C: Thanks my friend! Nice to see you are active here also. I look forward to reading more of your work.
@ JLD: Love those adjectives my man! Thanks so much.
Something Harry Crews in this one, as well. Gimps and a dwarf.*
Yes, Gary! Thanks for the reminder.
Is it possible to have a flashback if you dropped acid decades ago? I just read this and weird things are starting to happen. That's a compliment. *
Tina, you are so great! As far as your question goes, hmm...I think it might be possible according to some scientific texts I've read? Thanks for the comments and support, always appreciated. Happy 2015!
As a Southerner I know good gimp fiction when I read it. I'd like to borrow what Bud said. Great. *
Thanks so much, John! Your kind words make my day!
Pure brilliance! I love every word in this! Huge *******
Meg, this is how I describe you! xoxo
Besides that amazing last line these sentences are brimming with great rhythm an images. "*"
Thanks so much, Kyle! I appreciate your read and comments.
Robert, A little late to the party, this was before I joined Fnaut. But saw this on Paul Beckman's fave list (which is very-very selective). Remember it from Rift. Great stuff! Never too late for a *.