Klempner

My resources: The clothes I’m wearing. A notebook and the stub of a pencil: A book on herbal toxins. A small supply of sweet water. An infinite supply, for any practical purpose, of foul water, slime and garbage. And of course, one small potato.

I’d like to give in to despair. There’s something alluring about despair, something seductive. Perhaps I should simply not play Juliana’s game; let her kill me.

But if I’m dead…

Mitch…

My beautiful green-eyed Mitch.

So alive. So energetic.

So full of courage.

So vital.

Vitale

Stay alive...

So, eat the fucking potato…

I prise it out from its bed of sludge and slime with a slight sucking sound. It’s small; perhaps half the size of my fist. On the other hand, adhered muck aside, it seems sound; firm, mid-brown, no sprouts or green parts. I have a vague idea that I’ve read that green potatoes are unsafe to eat.

Hauling myself up from my concrete seat, lifting my chain in one hand, with the other, I hold my meal under the water inlet, thumbing away the dirt under the clean water.

Time to live…

And I bite in.

*****

With no warning, the light blinks on and without meaning to, I groan, hiding my eyes behind my hands.

Juliana emerges from the darkness. “Good afternoon, Larry. How are you? I do hope you’ve had the

her shoulders, with deep red lipstick. The dress is long and clingy, with a low cut neckline; designed to show off a figure which I suspect is

polite little smile, then sits, on her fold-up chair, hands neatly folded. She could be in school, waiting for a favourite teacher to begin the lesson. Or perhaps

are we going to

struggle upright. I’m fucked if I’m going to let her look down at me while we talk. She watches me, a touch of wariness in her eyes. Momentarily, her gaze drops to her painted line, but she’s well to one

arms,

it’s good to get

choice topics.” I

know, you’re right.” She gives me a bright little smile.

Fake…

Extensions?

won’t do well down here

Two days?

there anything you

I pause…

Seriously?

“How about a cup?”

stupid, letting your little bitch daughter get hold of a glass bottle. I'm not

to get a

your time? Lick it off the

your

you’ve lost. You’re

be looking for me, the police. By now they'll know I'm

the explosion. And I made sure the police found some clues about you being near my apartment. With the number of bodies they’ll have found around there recently, I’m sure that

My chest tightens…

“What clues?”

hand over her hair. “I suppose they might decide you were involved with the gangs. But I think it's more likely they'll say you got caught in the war between the Wolves and the Nightshades. You know…” She makes air commas…

Larry, they’re not

explosion just so you

where you are, could I? That would spoil our fun

“Juliana…”

“Sola!” she snaps.

There were scores of people caught in that explosion. All innocent. All nothing to do with

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