Excerpts from the Journal of a Boy with Webbed Feet
by Robert Swartwood

• stepped on a nail during gym class coach b sent me to the nurse shes kinda pretty has this chip in her front tooth she asked me to take off my shoe & i did then she asked me to take off my sock but i shook my head but you’re bleeding she said i still wouldn’t take off the sock she stepped close to me & i could smell her perfume & for some stupid reason i thought maybe she was the one you know the one that will accept me for who i am who wont think of me as a freak shes nearly twenty years older than me but shes still pretty & i thought well i dont know what i thought so i took off the sock she didnt say anything but a sound came from her throat i think she threw up a little in her mouth

• aced that history test today very psyched didnt think id do good at all took it home & hung it on the fridge waited until later after rents came home & walked in to see what theyd say but the test was gone i asked them what happened to it & they looked at each other then said to me what test

• molly biguenet dropped her pen during homeroom today i picked it up for her she smiled and said thank you

• found porn tonight will write again later

• thinking about asking molly out shes so pretty

• had this weird dream about being in the tub and mom tried drowning me

• spent too much time looking at porn tonight should be studying for mr fraziers test tomorrow

• talked to a recruiter during lunch today says i would make a great fit for the army who knows maybe i would cant be worse than it already is here

• asked molly out she says she already has a b-friend oh well that amy is cute so is valerie

• parents happy with my idea to go into army they say its a great idea

• three hours tonight looking at porn have to study will write later

• asked out amy & valerie & kate but they all have b-friends dont think im going to prom

• graduation today nobody clapped when my name was called

• four & half hours with porn should go out and get some sun i guess it is saturday after all

• signed up for army now its official cant wait cant wait cant wait will write later

• saw molly today at mall she was by herself followed her around followed her home dont think she saw me her house is nice

• boot camp starts tomorrow dont know what to expect surprised they even let me in with you know but they did the one guy who saw my feet said dont worry about it said something about them being desperate guess thats good enough i don’t know just proud to serve my country will write later

• had another dream last night in tub again mom tried drowning me again this time i didn’t fight this time i didn’t do anything this time i closed my eyes this time i slept

[ed: journal ends there]

 

ROBERT SWARTWOOD is the editor of Hint Fiction: An Anthology of Stories in 25 Words or Fewer (forthcoming from W.W. Norton) and blogs at robertswartwood.com.

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