Short Story: Fixing the World
153 KILLED, 42 WOUNDED IN TERROR ATTACK IN FRANKFURT, GERMANYFrankfurt, Germany (AP) — In a recent terror attack in Frankfurt’s popular, upscale shopping promenade known as the Zeil, ten terrorists opened fire with assault rifles, killing tourists and shoppers alike. No terror group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but a source within Germany’s Federal Foreign Office suggests that it is the work of right-wing nationalists angry at the influx of foreigners from Islamic countries. At least 30 of the victims were children.
As the bus lurched to a squealing stop, Chloe automatically leaned in the other direction to keep from falling into the lap of the person sitting next to her, an overweight man eating an Egg McMuffin from a paper McDonald’s bag. The salty, somehow artificial smell of his breakfast made her stomach do a slow roll. How could anyone eat that disgusting junk? Processed ham from pigs raised in pens so small they couldn’t even turn around, antibiotic-laced eggs from abused chickens, GMO-laden wheat byproducts. It’s like people didn’t care anymore. SUSPECT CHARGED IN MACON COUNTY MULTIPLE HOMICIDEOglethorpe, Georgia — James Figueroa, 47, was formally charged in last week’s multiple homicide that claimed 12 lives, including 2 teenagers. Figueroa, a native of Marshallville, was reportedly angry at the restraining order his former spouse Leticia Figueroa had filed with the court, and went to try to talk to her during a family party at the Figueroa household. After being turned away, he allegedly returned an hour later with a handgun and shot everyone in the house, including his own children.
Swallowing, she turned off her phone and stuffed it into her shoulder bag. Why did everything always have to be so awful? Reading the news always made her feel sick. There was never anything good happening anymore. It was all just…awful. But lately she couldn’t seem to help herself. There was always another story, another horror to vicariously experience through her friends’ Facebook walls and tweeps’ Twitter feeds. She had to stay informed, right? By the time they’d reached her stop, the fat guy had finished his second Egg McMuffin and was starting on a hash brown patty. Stepping off the bus into a cloud of petrochemical exhaust, she told herself the next time she saw him, she’d take pictures of him stuffing his fat face with genetically modified corporate slop and post it on her Tumblr. The half-block walk to the office wouldn’t be so bad except for the construction workers digging up the sidewalk across the street. They always had to watch her as she went by, feeling her up with their smirks and stares. It was like they had a compulsion to objectify any woman who had the misfortune to walk past. What was worse was that it always made her feel self-conscious and turned even the easiest of tasks, like typing in the door code, into an exercise in repetitive failure and frustration.
BAIL SET FOR RALEIGH WOMAN INVOLVED IN TRAILER FIRE THAT KILLED FOURMcCormick, North Carolina (Reuters) — Head held high, Tyesha O’Grady, 27, walked into court yesterday accused of four counts of felony murder and four counts of cruelty to children after a fatal trailer fire Tuesday night. Police said that the children were left alone in the trailer while O’Grady left to purchase narcotics. The fire was caused by a faulty plug from a set of Christmas lights. O’Grady’s bail was set for $2 million.
At the burr of the office phone, Chloe minimized the Yahoo News window, cleared her throat, and answered, “It’s a great…morning at Jackson Financial Technology Group, how can I direct your call?” “Is it? You don’t sound too sure,” said an older man’s voice. Old men always seemed to want to flirt with her on the phone, as if essentializing her to breasts and a vulva was funny or cute. Putting a smile into her voice that she did not feel, she said, “Oh, I’m sure. Do you know your party’s extension?” “Why, no. That’s why I called the front desk.” They always had to have a witty conversation before getting to business. If this guy knew what was going on right here, in his own country, he wouldn’t be so flip. Four children burned to death, and he thought he was a laugh riot. It was time to switch from lightly amused to coldly professional, and hope he’d do the same. “If you can tell me who you’d like to speak to, or which department, I’d be happy to direct your call.” “I’d like to speak to the department of getting my money back because my broker blew it all on Inflatable Companion Futures,” he said, and laughed at his own joke. Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting. What went wrong in this man’s life that he thought it was okay to talk to a woman like this? “Sir,” she said firmly, “how can I direct your call?” Still laughing, he replied, “Let me speak to Bill Penman, honey.” “Just. One. Moment,” she gritted, and stabbed the HOLD button.
TALLAHASSEE MAN INDICTED IN RAPE OF ELDERLY WOMANTallahassee, Florida (WMOR) — A man accused of repeatedly raping an elderly woman in her home was indicted on Monday on several charges relating to the crime. Horace Butterworth, 29, a Tallahassee resident, faces charges of rape, aggravated assault, aggravated sexual battery, aggravated sodomy, and robbery. On November 31, Butterworth allegedly followed the victim to her suburban home, struck her in her doorway, and dragged her inside. No children were harmed during the incident.
It was hard to hear her phone’s text alerts over her overheating laptop’s fan, so after a while she just decided to ignore it and focus on reading the news. Texting with Rich was going nowhere, anyway. All he wanted was to come by, screw, eat her food, and leave, and that wasn’t enough for her anymore. Especially with what was happening in Florida. How could someone do that to a nice old lady?
GOP PUSHES TO END SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM FOR CHILDRENWashington (AP) — Congressional Republicans, flush with victory from recent election returns, are seeking to end the school lunch program for tens of millions of needy children across the United States. The House Speaker said, “The people have spoken. They want us to cut bloated government programs, so we have decided that the easiest thing to do would be to eliminate healthy, delicious lunches for hungry schoolchildren. We will start with schools in primarily minority districts. God bless America.” It is expected, even hoped, that the president will veto any such bill that comes to his desk.
Her phone buzzed again: more texts. Rich, probably. Or Katie. Or Laney. Better to turn it off than to be constantly distracted by its clamoring. If she hadn’t leaned way off to the side to grab it, the flaming shards of superheated plastic from her exploding laptop would have shredded the flesh from her face and blackened the bones beneath. As it was, she screamed and pitched out of her chair onto the kitchen floor, curling into a fetal position the moment her hip hit the tile. What was going— “Rise,” a majestic voice entreated. Its powerful, husky contralto could have come from either a man or a woman. “Please,” she begged, “just take what you want and leave. Don’t hurt me!” “I would not dream of doing so,” the voice intoned. “Never have you been safer.” Chloe spread her fingers enough to see blinding white robes and a sandaled, pearlescent foot. Squinting, she uncovered her head, sat up, and looked at who had spoken. It was an angel. Neither male nor female, the figure combined the most beautiful attributes of both with high, strong cheekbones; enormous, almond-shaped eyes; flawless, luminous skin; perfect cupid’s-bow lips; and long golden hair. The angel extended a hand to help her to her feet. A warm, electric thrill ran up her spine at the angel’s touch. “Who…who are you? And what do you want with me?” Still holding her hand, the angel said, “My name is Tsuriel. And I want what you want.” She wanted to look at the smoking ruin of her laptop, but Tsuriel’s eyes were magnetic, fixing her in place. “What do I want?” “Of all the mortals I have encountered, few are more sensitive to the troubles of this world than you, Chloe.” The angel’s voice became grave. “It is because you feel so much. Have you not seen the horrors? Felt them? Do you not think that something about the world is…” “Broken,” Chloe finished. “The world’s broken.” Silvery tears fell from the angel’s perfect eyes to splash upon the floor like raindrops. “Yes.” “And you want me to fix it?” Tsuriel bowed over their clasped hands. “Only you can.” “How?” “I will tell you.”
FIFTY-SEVENTH POLICE SHOOTING IN TWO DAYS PUTS COMMUNITY ON EDGEBoston, MA (UPI) — Today marks the second day that local police in downtown Boston have gone on a murder spree, pulling unarmed children out of school to shoot them in the street. Fifty-eight children so far have been killed, one of whom accidentally when a bullet meant for one child exited his cranium, flew across a playground, and killed another child on the swings. Despite the horrific nature of these crimes, it’s business as usual in Boston, a city well-known for objectifying women of all ages and races. Calls to the Boston PD went unanswered, but a confidential source within the department said that the murders will continue for the foreseeable future because, “That’s just how we roll.”
Hands shaking so much that she dropped her keys twice, Chloe barely managed to get her door open, step inside, and close it behind her before tears drowned out everything else. She slid to the floor, wrapped her arms around herself, and wept. “What troubles you so?” Tsuriel asked from the kitchen. “You…you didn’t…tell me…it was going to…be like…this!” she managed between sobs. “I said it would be difficult,” Tsuriel said, not unkindly. “But…” She wiped her face with the backs of her hands. “There was so much…so much blood. And the screaming! I thought…I thought they would…” Tsuriel drifted over and knelt to be closer to her level. “They would thank you? Is that what you thought?” “Yes!” “Here,” the angel said, producing a glass of water. “Drink this.” Chloe cradled the glass in both hands and took a sip. “You didn’t say they had…they had kids.” “The first is always the hardest. It will get easier with your next one. Did you remove the eyes, like I said? All of them? Even the children’s? It’s very important.” Swallowing, Chloe nodded. “Where are they?” “I left them in the car. I almost crashed like five times on my way home.” Tsuriel smiled. “Very good. I fixed your laptop, Chloe. Would you like to read the news?” “No…yes. Yes.” “Very good.”
MASS DISAPPOINTMENT LEAVES THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN NEAR-COMATOSELos Angeles, California — In a shocking turn of events, thousands of children were struck down with mass disappointment over a disagreement on ice cream quantity. “It’s the largest mass disappointment event we’ve ever seen,” Children’s Disappointment Expert Dr. Wilson Carville said in an interview. “Honestly, I’m not sure how any of them are going to recover. It’s just terrible.” There is no known treatment for this widespread condition, but scientists are hopeful that a cure can be synthesized by 2038.
As the bus lurched to a squealing stop, Chloe automatically leaned in the other direction to keep from falling into the lap of the person sitting next to her, an overweight man eating an Egg McMuffin from a paper McDonald’s bag. The salty, somehow artificial smell of his breakfast made her stomach do a slow roll. How could anyone eat that disgusting junk? Processed ham from pigs raised in pens so small they couldn’t even turn around, antibiotic-laced eggs from abused chickens, GMO-laden wheat byproducts. It’s like people didn’t care anymore. SUSPECT CHARGED IN MACON COUNTY MULTIPLE HOMICIDEOglethorpe, Georgia — James Figueroa, 47, was formally charged in last week’s multiple homicide that claimed 12 lives, including 2 teenagers. Figueroa, a native of Marshallville, was reportedly angry at the restraining order his former spouse Leticia Figueroa had filed with the court, and went to try to talk to her during a family party at the Figueroa household. After being turned away, he allegedly returned an hour later with a handgun and shot everyone in the house, including his own children.
Swallowing, she turned off her phone and stuffed it into her shoulder bag. Why did everything always have to be so awful? Reading the news always made her feel sick. There was never anything good happening anymore. It was all just…awful. But lately she couldn’t seem to help herself. There was always another story, another horror to vicariously experience through her friends’ Facebook walls and tweeps’ Twitter feeds. She had to stay informed, right? By the time they’d reached her stop, the fat guy had finished his second Egg McMuffin and was starting on a hash brown patty. Stepping off the bus into a cloud of petrochemical exhaust, she told herself the next time she saw him, she’d take pictures of him stuffing his fat face with genetically modified corporate slop and post it on her Tumblr. The half-block walk to the office wouldn’t be so bad except for the construction workers digging up the sidewalk across the street. They always had to watch her as she went by, feeling her up with their smirks and stares. It was like they had a compulsion to objectify any woman who had the misfortune to walk past. What was worse was that it always made her feel self-conscious and turned even the easiest of tasks, like typing in the door code, into an exercise in repetitive failure and frustration.
BAIL SET FOR RALEIGH WOMAN INVOLVED IN TRAILER FIRE THAT KILLED FOURMcCormick, North Carolina (Reuters) — Head held high, Tyesha O’Grady, 27, walked into court yesterday accused of four counts of felony murder and four counts of cruelty to children after a fatal trailer fire Tuesday night. Police said that the children were left alone in the trailer while O’Grady left to purchase narcotics. The fire was caused by a faulty plug from a set of Christmas lights. O’Grady’s bail was set for $2 million.
At the burr of the office phone, Chloe minimized the Yahoo News window, cleared her throat, and answered, “It’s a great…morning at Jackson Financial Technology Group, how can I direct your call?” “Is it? You don’t sound too sure,” said an older man’s voice. Old men always seemed to want to flirt with her on the phone, as if essentializing her to breasts and a vulva was funny or cute. Putting a smile into her voice that she did not feel, she said, “Oh, I’m sure. Do you know your party’s extension?” “Why, no. That’s why I called the front desk.” They always had to have a witty conversation before getting to business. If this guy knew what was going on right here, in his own country, he wouldn’t be so flip. Four children burned to death, and he thought he was a laugh riot. It was time to switch from lightly amused to coldly professional, and hope he’d do the same. “If you can tell me who you’d like to speak to, or which department, I’d be happy to direct your call.” “I’d like to speak to the department of getting my money back because my broker blew it all on Inflatable Companion Futures,” he said, and laughed at his own joke. Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting. What went wrong in this man’s life that he thought it was okay to talk to a woman like this? “Sir,” she said firmly, “how can I direct your call?” Still laughing, he replied, “Let me speak to Bill Penman, honey.” “Just. One. Moment,” she gritted, and stabbed the HOLD button.
TALLAHASSEE MAN INDICTED IN RAPE OF ELDERLY WOMANTallahassee, Florida (WMOR) — A man accused of repeatedly raping an elderly woman in her home was indicted on Monday on several charges relating to the crime. Horace Butterworth, 29, a Tallahassee resident, faces charges of rape, aggravated assault, aggravated sexual battery, aggravated sodomy, and robbery. On November 31, Butterworth allegedly followed the victim to her suburban home, struck her in her doorway, and dragged her inside. No children were harmed during the incident.
It was hard to hear her phone’s text alerts over her overheating laptop’s fan, so after a while she just decided to ignore it and focus on reading the news. Texting with Rich was going nowhere, anyway. All he wanted was to come by, screw, eat her food, and leave, and that wasn’t enough for her anymore. Especially with what was happening in Florida. How could someone do that to a nice old lady?
GOP PUSHES TO END SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM FOR CHILDRENWashington (AP) — Congressional Republicans, flush with victory from recent election returns, are seeking to end the school lunch program for tens of millions of needy children across the United States. The House Speaker said, “The people have spoken. They want us to cut bloated government programs, so we have decided that the easiest thing to do would be to eliminate healthy, delicious lunches for hungry schoolchildren. We will start with schools in primarily minority districts. God bless America.” It is expected, even hoped, that the president will veto any such bill that comes to his desk.
Her phone buzzed again: more texts. Rich, probably. Or Katie. Or Laney. Better to turn it off than to be constantly distracted by its clamoring. If she hadn’t leaned way off to the side to grab it, the flaming shards of superheated plastic from her exploding laptop would have shredded the flesh from her face and blackened the bones beneath. As it was, she screamed and pitched out of her chair onto the kitchen floor, curling into a fetal position the moment her hip hit the tile. What was going— “Rise,” a majestic voice entreated. Its powerful, husky contralto could have come from either a man or a woman. “Please,” she begged, “just take what you want and leave. Don’t hurt me!” “I would not dream of doing so,” the voice intoned. “Never have you been safer.” Chloe spread her fingers enough to see blinding white robes and a sandaled, pearlescent foot. Squinting, she uncovered her head, sat up, and looked at who had spoken. It was an angel. Neither male nor female, the figure combined the most beautiful attributes of both with high, strong cheekbones; enormous, almond-shaped eyes; flawless, luminous skin; perfect cupid’s-bow lips; and long golden hair. The angel extended a hand to help her to her feet. A warm, electric thrill ran up her spine at the angel’s touch. “Who…who are you? And what do you want with me?” Still holding her hand, the angel said, “My name is Tsuriel. And I want what you want.” She wanted to look at the smoking ruin of her laptop, but Tsuriel’s eyes were magnetic, fixing her in place. “What do I want?” “Of all the mortals I have encountered, few are more sensitive to the troubles of this world than you, Chloe.” The angel’s voice became grave. “It is because you feel so much. Have you not seen the horrors? Felt them? Do you not think that something about the world is…” “Broken,” Chloe finished. “The world’s broken.” Silvery tears fell from the angel’s perfect eyes to splash upon the floor like raindrops. “Yes.” “And you want me to fix it?” Tsuriel bowed over their clasped hands. “Only you can.” “How?” “I will tell you.”
FIFTY-SEVENTH POLICE SHOOTING IN TWO DAYS PUTS COMMUNITY ON EDGEBoston, MA (UPI) — Today marks the second day that local police in downtown Boston have gone on a murder spree, pulling unarmed children out of school to shoot them in the street. Fifty-eight children so far have been killed, one of whom accidentally when a bullet meant for one child exited his cranium, flew across a playground, and killed another child on the swings. Despite the horrific nature of these crimes, it’s business as usual in Boston, a city well-known for objectifying women of all ages and races. Calls to the Boston PD went unanswered, but a confidential source within the department said that the murders will continue for the foreseeable future because, “That’s just how we roll.”
Hands shaking so much that she dropped her keys twice, Chloe barely managed to get her door open, step inside, and close it behind her before tears drowned out everything else. She slid to the floor, wrapped her arms around herself, and wept. “What troubles you so?” Tsuriel asked from the kitchen. “You…you didn’t…tell me…it was going to…be like…this!” she managed between sobs. “I said it would be difficult,” Tsuriel said, not unkindly. “But…” She wiped her face with the backs of her hands. “There was so much…so much blood. And the screaming! I thought…I thought they would…” Tsuriel drifted over and knelt to be closer to her level. “They would thank you? Is that what you thought?” “Yes!” “Here,” the angel said, producing a glass of water. “Drink this.” Chloe cradled the glass in both hands and took a sip. “You didn’t say they had…they had kids.” “The first is always the hardest. It will get easier with your next one. Did you remove the eyes, like I said? All of them? Even the children’s? It’s very important.” Swallowing, Chloe nodded. “Where are they?” “I left them in the car. I almost crashed like five times on my way home.” Tsuriel smiled. “Very good. I fixed your laptop, Chloe. Would you like to read the news?” “No…yes. Yes.” “Very good.”
MASS DISAPPOINTMENT LEAVES THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN NEAR-COMATOSELos Angeles, California — In a shocking turn of events, thousands of children were struck down with mass disappointment over a disagreement on ice cream quantity. “It’s the largest mass disappointment event we’ve ever seen,” Children’s Disappointment Expert Dr. Wilson Carville said in an interview. “Honestly, I’m not sure how any of them are going to recover. It’s just terrible.” There is no known treatment for this widespread condition, but scientists are hopeful that a cure can be synthesized by 2038.
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