Old Frank has already gone through this. He didn’t understand it. He trusted Mr. P. and knew he’d never hurt him. Maybe Mr. P. was a father to him. Maybe Mr. P. was God to him. What could he have been thinking of when he shot his best friend?

What in God’s name can he be thinking of now?

Mr. Parker, fifty-eight, is reclining on his couch.

Boy and Dog

The dog was already dead.

He was in the road.

A kid watched behind trees.

Tears shone on his face.

He dashed into the road.

Then a car came along.

He retreated to the sidewalk.

He heard his mother calling.

More cars were coming now.

The dog was really dead.

Blood was on the asphalt.

He could see it puddling.

The hubcap was bloody too.

It was also badly dented.

It came off a Mustang.

He ran to the dog.

A car drove up fast.

He caught up the tail.

He pulled on the dog.

It slid in slick blood.

The car got even closer.

He dropped it and ran.

His mother called to him.

She was on the porch.

Johnny what are you doing?

She couldn’t see him crying.

His Spam was getting cold.

Bozo was the dog’s name.

Bozo was an old dog.

The boy was only eight.

Bozo would be eleven forever.

He ran back to Bozo.

Then he pulled Bozo closer.

But another car came along.

It was the killer Mustang.

It was hunting its hubcap.

The boy had seen it.

He picked up a brick.

The driver was going slow.

He looked out the window.

He really wanted that hubcap.

It was a ’65 fastback.

It was worth some money.

It had bad main seals.

Black oil leaked each night.

The dipstick was always low.

It had clobbered the dog.

The wheel hit him hard.

The shiny hubcap said BONG!

The kid held his brick.

He was hiding behind trees.

The driver was slowing down.

It was around here somewhere.

The brick was antique lemon.

It had three round holes.

But it was still heavy.

The car got awful close.

The kid held his brick.

The guy turned his head.

He didn’t see the kid.

The kid threw the brick.

It landed on his head.

The driver fell over unconscious.

He jammed the gas down.

The Mustang burned some rubber.

It also burned some oil.

A big tree stopped it.

The tree shook pretty hard.

The windshield shattered in spiderwebs.

The horn started blowing loud.

The guy’s head was down.

The horn blew and blew.

The kid got really panicky.

He ran out to help.

He had always loved dogs.

He grabbed the tail again.

The dog was pretty heavy.

The blood made him slide.

The kid kept looking around.

Something popped under the hood.

A little smoke rolled up.

The horn was still blowing.

Wires popped and something crackled.

Then the smoke turned black.