The Dry Weeks.

And so the world stayed exactly as it had always been. Down was still disguised as up and bad was still disguised as good. Friends pretended not to lust after each others' partners and shopkeepers reminded you that you forgot your change. They pretended it was out of care and not to develop some convenient trust.

But in the dry weeks of summer, weeds still grew where plants could not. The lake slowly dried up and toads buried themselves. lamps burned warm and cozy inside houses where darkness and cold were the only gods. Leaders of men, politicians and preachers craned their necks to peer deep into the vast elaboration of stars at night and saw only their own immaculate reflections.

Still the people pulled the weeds and dug wells to water the grass. They lit their lamps and bid warm goodnights to each other. They reflected on the day's sermon and how thoughtful it was that the man running for governor had come to church to tell them all how much he was just like them. How, last night, in the cool prairie darkness, he had looked up into that brilliant sky and been struck with a vision of all those stars shining back. And do you know what it is he saw looking back? He said it was Us! All of us!

After church he stood next to the preacher and shook every hand in the congregation and told them all that this small town and its honest folks were the people whose dreams he would take to the capital. A world made in the image of this dear town!

And they believed in his goodness just as they ignored the dry lake. His teeth were shining prison bars and truth their captive.

The dry weeks passed and the politician wandered off and the preacher had an affair that no one noticed. The rains returned and the lake filled back up and everyone believed this was a result of their good deeds. The plants grew again but the weeds grew faster and the toads stayed buried.

They had seen enough.

© 2017 Phillip W Parsons

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Myra Fellows

Did you ever see Poltergeist? The one in the hotel and the pool froze and they were trapped behind mirrors? There was a very scary preacher man in that movie. I watched the movie. I was very young. I then spent the day at a water park the next day. Water slides, lazy river and the wave pool...In the wave pool there was a man with those teeth. Those teeth that you just described in the most cool way. I had to read it a few times (as I do) but it makes sense that the truth is unable to push it's way out of those enameled bars. I was scared shitless. I was floating on my inflatable ring as I watched this guy-who I swore was at least a relative of that guy from the movie and that is the ONLY thing I remember from that entire day out. Lord have mercy! Great story. What sparked it??? Do tell!
*Capitalize "lamps".