Questions
They make sense to some. And not to others.
The military man entered the food store. His wheelchair, oiled and silent, provided no audible testimony to his condition. The sun, morning rising, looked low over the hills, and sanctified the storefront glass. A girl stood at the only checkout lane, and found belonging in her phone. No other customers had yet come.
The military man moved himself into position next to the oranges. He selected three of them, placed them in the cart attached to his chair. A boy stood nearby, moving vegetables from their shipping boxes. He looked over at the military man. Which war? the boy asked.
All of them, said the military man.
The boy paused with an ear of corn in his hand. I don’t understand, he said.
It makes sense to some, said the military man. And not to others.
At the checkout, the girl set her phone down. She rolled the oranges, one by one, in formation, over the scanner, and then read the number aloud that appeared on the machine.
Who is more hated? asked the military man. The hateful creature, or the man who kills it?
The girl rested her finger near a button. I don’t know, she said. Her belonging had slipped away.
That’s okay. Here’s the money. The military man left the store. The sidewalk too, lay broken in places. He would look for answers again tomorrow, in other bins. Meanwhile, the sun, which was now fully above the hills, had surrendered to the world another day.
— — —
Thanks for reading Dynamic Creed. It’s good to have you here. I was thinking about doing a video reading of this piece, but between one project and another that I’m working on, seems like time ran out. Maybe next time. I think it could be fun.
I recently finished a 13 part story. It’s a story of Ruth Tarver, an exceptional woman in a tumultuous world where things don’t always make sense1, told using an unconventional narrative. I’m thinking about serializing it here on the stack. My friend Henry of the North is currently checking it out, so we’ll see. What do you think?
All the best,
Victor David
Well, as the man in this story says: It makes sense to some and not to others.
Hola VÃctor, me pareció muy interesante la historia y las preguntas. Considero que también he peleado guerras aunque internamente y sobre la segunda pregunta, considero que cuando una persona rompe con el Status Quo se Vuelve el "odiado".
Por otra parte, me hubiera gustado escuchar el tono de voz con el que escribiste la historia. Ah también me encantarÃa leer la historia de Ruth Tarver en capÃtulos. Gracias!
As I've told you before, Victor, I always read your pieces several times and each reading delivers new insight. You have really pared this one down to where each line is necessary, nothing extraneous to wade through.
Interesting clue that the sidewalk *too* lay broken in places.
My favorite line is the one that reveals that the military man was not expecting an answer: "That's okay. Here's the money."
Well done as usual, Victor.