Short Fiction
“That’s odd. In your affidavit…ah, here it is…that she used the expression…” “At least it keeps the lights on.” “What does that mean?” “It’s a dustbodies expression,” I explain to the courtroom. “They say it whenever they are trying to rationalize something to themselves. Sadly, I believe that it is fairly common.” Lunch is finally called. I feel some relief as everyone begins to swim out of the courtroom together, leaving me alone. Besides, where would I go? I am not hungry and nobody makes me get down from the witness stand so I just stay and look out the windows. The mermaid kids are still hiding behind the rocks. In pairs they look like quotation marks, alone they are little ghosts swimming around. Sitting near the mermaid kids, reading a book during the lunch hour, is the court stenographer. We call her the catfish lady. Sometimes we call her the crazy catfish lady too. She’s about my age, I think, but she dresses a little older, a lot older actually, like a frumpy librarian who probably can’t wait to get through the rest of her day so that she can go back to where she came from. She’s one of the ghosts. I decide to go outside… Bubbles catches me in the courtroom hallway. “You think you’re pretty clever, buddy, don’t you?” “Hi Bubbles! Good to see you too Bubbles! I’m glad that both of us are even alive so that we can even have this conversation. Geez, I hope that never changes.” “Listen, Gill. From the bottom of my heart: GET OFF THE CROSS. I know that all you have to do is claim pirates and you’ll get a slap on the wrist.” “Who said that?” “Pirates, it doesn’t matter who told me. Do it. Take the damn deal! Claim pirates! And stop making little inside jokes (which are pretty obvious inside jokes—which makes it even more infuriating!) about ex-girlfriends, whoops, I mean girlfriends.” “What does that mean, ex-girlfriend? You’re not planning on sticking it out with me for the next three and half hours? That too long to wait?” Atticus Review│Get Lit: Round 1
Page 127