Minimalist Gossip Magazine Cover (49).pdf (23) - Flipbook - Page 57
FINGERS
by Kim Silva
Fingers crawl; they push and knead. They’re everywhere; pointing, prodding,
poking. They want to push humans into little holes. A little man named Skylar
lives in the midst of these fingers in the belly of a fiery pink being named
Julius. Skylar’s skin is dark brown. His mouth is open as if he wants to talk but
he can’t. He’s being pushed around by all these fingers. So far he has evaded the
holes.
He is halfway out of the belly of Julius, the fiery pink person, who is giving
birth to him. Julius will keep him alive for a special purpose but Skyler doesn’t
know what. Skyler stares into a mirror. He’s asking his reflection what he should
do now.
A red monkey reclines on a tree limb eating grapes and watching with amusement.
Skylar is screaming but his hinges are rusty; no one can hear him. He wants only
to be born and to be a baby that no one will ever know.
The fingers are bigger than humans. They are bigger than houses. There are all
kinds of fingers. They never stop working. Stuffing food in mouths. Blowing up
buildings. Cutting the sky with scissors. Babble with blue nails. A baby’s being
born. Vines of umbilical flesh swing from the trees. A baby’s crying. A finger
says shush. Kneading the flesh of Julius. Skylar’s head emerges.
Fingers are all over the place. Busy working pushing Skylar down in the hole. It’s
the fingers’ job to keep the humans hidden, disoriented. But it’s the baby’s job
to cry.
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