Painted Faces
“If somebody gave you a hundred dollars, how would you use it?” Randy says. We're at the Clareborne County Mall. We're celebrating Randy's twelfth birthday. “Want to know how I'd use it?” he says. “Hookers!” We're standing near the face-painting kiosk. I want to dig my fingers into the paint and spread yellow whiskers across my cheeks. I want to become a lion. That's how I'd use the money. I don't want to tell Randy I still like painting my face. I don't want Randy to call me a baby. Or faggot. “Me too,” I say. “Definitely hookers.”
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Author's Note
This story currently appears online in Keyhole, alongside other great fiction that deserves your attention.
Other stories by Tim Jones-Yelvington
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How you do this in such a tiny piece boggles my mind, Tim. It's a whole world of pain.
hi tim!
real fine micro here. about as tight as they get, and the life is really there.
I like this a lot!
I'm glad Keyhole got this one. Peter's great. And so are you! Good work.
What a tender detail that he still likes to paint his face. And the lion, alluding to cowardly and also king of the jungle and also a disguise. So much going on.
Thanks so much, everyone.
Hey... as a teensy-tiny favor, would any of you be willing to cross-post to the Keyhole website (keyholemagazine.com)? I'm still comment-less. Then while you're there, you can read all the other great work Peter is publishing.
Oh, I like this lots.
"I want to become a lion."
Nice.
This is fantastic. Perfect 12 year old brain.
great piece -- you really capture that confusing time between preference for face-painting or hookers. and the dynamic between kids that age. very nice!
Tim, I read this in the Flash Factory first and liked it then. I appreciate it more now. This really is something.
This is funny. I feel like these extremely short pieces usually don't work, but there's everything I want here -- plot, character, detail, strong image. And your characteristic humor and sex.