Pulling his blackened lungs from their brief revelry, Thomas arose. minutes later, subjugated and demoralized by torrential coughing and his morning brush with fate, he continued to lay. With a flopping, inaccurate hand he pushed aside the ever dulling blade of deaths scythe. business, in this day of trial and tribulation, had been good, and the reddish ichor dripped and flashed triumphantly in the nonexistent reflection of flat uncaring sockets. or rather it would, but for this mornings disappointment.

confused, and a bit put aside, she peered intently at the blade. sharper than hell? yes. curved crazily as if to say"I want to kill you, but it needs to take a long time so you can ponder your shortcomings while you bleed"? yes. disgusting!!

Just unfair! When did he lose the fear and self loathing she'd worked so hard to establish? mentally blinking permanently dry eyes for the 500th time, she stared ublinking. Summoning her meanest sneer, shifting a bit to the side so she could look downward at him, and simultaneously into the promising future without him, in an effort to properly evoke images of his impending loss "This, she boomed... is REALLY", pausing to intake a deep and unneeded breath, letting it whoosh and whistle through her clenched teeth. "the end." She dropped her gaze slowly and ominously, like a deep rolling thunder eyes widening in disbelief as they fell upon the now lightly snoring Thomas, a small puddle forming near his mouth.

"That is the F-ing last straw", death screamed, hair rising wildy like Only Pantene and other expensive bio-organic shampoos which Thomas had paid for can do. She threw her slender "boyfriend pays for gym membership" arms up, then to waist where they rested expectantly. nothing came. Flinging the great scythe with a clatter, death stomped petulantly, each foot landing loudly with specific complaint down the hall, wading through microwave dinner boxes, twinkie wrappers and diet coke cans, she paused only briefly to liquify the dog, and overwater the plants. "That'll show him" she fumed, kicking one leg wildly as the puddle on the floor struggled to hump her leg.
she gave the door a calculated hard slam for effect, then stood just outside. again nothing.


Terribly heartbroken, and in true emotional anguish she met another man later that hour, fell in love "again", forgot Thomas and everything he'd done for her, and moved to the Bahamas.

A bit unnerved, but still sleepy, he reached, without rising or opening his eyes, for the staff which had somehow landed on his wallet, conveniently, and accurately chopping it, his money, and all his credit cards in half. "Figures", he muttered.

An expression like someone who bracing for a vicious punch to the head, is shocked by a groin kick, followed by a look of hindsight understanding, turning quickly again to shock as the next swing lands upon their face as previously expected, crept slowly upon him as he turned her revolting memory in his mind.

In the middle of the city, where he lived, out of absolutely nowhere several tumbleweeds rolled lazily on a sad and slow breeze
to land dejected and beaten upon his lawn where they seemed to sway back and forth to sad music by ABBA and the Bee-Gees.
A crappy, and tired temp agency coyote arrived shortly on the bus to echo a lonely and remorseful howl at the suddenly waning moon.

Life was good.