created by andrew chung

epoch 2

dog mai afternoon: chapter 2

the rain slows to a sporadic drizzle. he looks at the dry leaf in his hands, fascinated by its natural resistance to water. its purity is impermeable.

it's getting dark, and unawares to him the playground has already almost emptied. water is streaming down his face as he runs for home. not from the rain but from the nervous sweat accumulated by his fear.

he enters the house and hears noise emanating from the kitchen. he attempts to quietly climb the stairs hoping to go unnoticed. but just as he begins to feel relief from a successful getaway, the back of his shirt is hoisted up and he finds himself back at the bottom of the staircase. he freezes from the fear of his father's mammoth weapon he calls his hand. he refuses to look up.

"i said to be home by 4:30," his dad asserts. "what time is it now?"

he still refuses to look up or answer, afraid it will lead to worse.

his dad just mutters to himself as he turns and makes his way back into the kitchen.

unfazed, as if this were normal, he turns and makes his way back up the stairs. he reaches his bedroom and turns on the television in his room. his room is cluttered with toys and odd trinkets, however everything still appears organized and well kept. he stares at the tv screen robotically. happy people laugh with one another, and an incessant laugh track goes off formulaically, urging you to laugh along.

"let's be happy together," the laugh track says.

"we'll take you away from wherever you don't want to be," it says.

he only responds with an insincere shrug.

epoch 2 chapter 1 | joe dreamer | epoch 2 chapter 3