FUGUE SEVEN: SICKNESS AND MOURNING
(Slight Return)
by C.F. Roberts
I'm sick....if you have the
misfortune of seeing me I look like some sad cartoon bug or
something. I haven't bathed in the better part of a week, I'm in
constant pain, I can't eat and I really am truly the sickest I've
been in decades.
The little black cat is curled
up in a ball by my side----she won't leave. She rests half on my
body, half off, because it hurts so much when she's on top of me that
I won't stop moaning and groaning.
What's she thinking? Is she
afraid I'm going to die? I'm loathe to say what my cat is thinking,
but I guess I appreciate the good thoughts.
Two years later I've recovered
from my illness. There have been fluctuating ups and downs in life.
On this day that same little cat that
would not leave my side is dying on the living room floor in front of
me. I spent the last several days watching her deteriorate to the
point where she has been lying limp on the arm of the couch, choosing
to sleep most of the day.
Now she has abandoned all places
of comfort, choosing instead to lie flat on her side. My wife strokes
her softly and she shudders, letting out a weak, noiseless cry.
We tell her we love her and
we're here----right here with her and we're not going away. We hang
back and talk as she lies still.
After a while we realize she's
gone.
Some close friends go behind our
backs and do us the kindness of paying to have her cremated. She is
returned to us a week or so later, her ashes in a tiny, wooden
container with her name emblazoned across the top. It looks like a
tiny casket and it's hard to believe a little box like that contains
what used to be a cat.
I show it to our male. He rubs up
on it with a great deal of affection. I don't know if any part of him
understands that what we're showing him is his sister, but he seems
to like it a lot, regardless.
We place it on our mantlepiece
with some of our favorite things---Exotica records, Halloween
decorations, anything Hawkwind ever did. We burn some incense and
place a little cheezit cracker on the tiny casket. She loved them.
She would steal snacks like that right out of our hands.
She was cantankerous, unruly,
unrelenting, loyal and beautiful. I'll spend the rest of my life
wondering if I was worthy of her company.
Copyright 2018 Molotov Editions
While I'm kicking around like a lout and trying to preserve my 900th skin graft I figure I haven't done any kind of a status update in a while...lot of exciting news on the writerly front.
I guess that the latest is that in early October ( Projected as sometime in the week of Oct. 7-13) UNLIKELY STORIES MARK V will be running my short stories, "Jesus, Superman and Rice Patties" and "The Windshield of a Moving Car is Hard, Especially when you Drop on Top of it from Thirty Feet" over two consecutive days. Keep an eye peeled. This publication rocks, they've been kicking it for a very long time and you can check them out HERE:
http://www.unlikelystories.org/
In addition, THE ODD MAGAZINE and Odd Books are going to be doing my short story, "The Day the Sun got an Eye Gouge" as a mini-chap at some point in the future....I latched onto the Odds earlier this year and fiercely recommend them----they've got something fresh ad unlike anything else going on! Look them up HERE:
https://www.theoddmagazine.com/
One of these stories is actually one of my oldest ever, which up to this point I've never been able to place---the other two are significantly newer. Keep an eye peeled for this stuff....they're three of my favorite stories and I can't wait for people to read 'em.
Let's see---what else? OH!!!! YEAH!!!!! MY BAND PUT OUT A GODDAMN ALBUM!!!!!! As I've been slinging the hash of hype for a while, it's probably important that I finally get to actually pimp this thing! We even have our first video out!!!!! And if you haven't seen it, here it is:
Sorry if you've gotta sign in----the sticky wicket of having to farm a music video with a few naughty words through the local Access Station/Media Center---but they're a great help to me----have been for many years, god bless 'em!
Anyway, yeah, that's me----I produced and edited the video, those are my paintings and my grotty vocals you're hearing-----sublime music by the great Mike McAdam and percussive contributions by Brad Rondeau! Enjoy.
We're talking about putting the album out on CD Baby in the future----until that happens, if you want a copy of the CD, well....if you're in NWA you can find it at our favorite musical haunt,
https://www.facebook.com/blockstreetrecords/
If you can't get it there, contact me. I'll see if I can't set ya up.
THIS WEEK'S PLAYLIST:
BAUHAUS-Burning from the Inside
BAUHAUS-The Sky's Gone Out
KISS-Rock'N'Roll Over
THE GUN CLUB-Louder than Live
