by Andrew Kuo
Art by Michelle Lang
Issue: Aphelion (Spring 2016)
thud
the sound of a heart beating one moment
and stopping the next
thud
someone fell
a woman screams and your blood runs cold
your breath cuts short
your body stiffens
he’s face down
body still
find the phone
where’s the phone?
punch in the numbers
hello
please help please hurry
i’m not sure please hurry
yesthankyoupleasehurry
then you pray
pray hard and wait
two days and life settles
work continues
days become busy
you think it’s over but
thud
your blood runs cold
your breath cuts short
your body stiffens
but it’s just a book, fallen off theshelf
thud
just the door slamming
thud
just the dropped tv remote
thud
your blood runs cold
your breath cuts short
your body stiffens
every
single
time
because one day
you know it won’t just be the book
or the door
or the remote.
thud
thud
thud.