I See You've Called in Dead

by John Kenney

“Tim is dead, isn’t he.” I nodded. He stared at me. “Are you sad?” “I am.” “But you know what?” “What?” “Like, you knew him and isn’t that better than never knowing him even though he’s dead now?”

“Well. My grampa died. And we had a gerbil that died. And Lucy my sister. So. I just think Nope, nope, nope, nope when I saw their dead bodies because that’s not them. I have them in here.” He pointed to his head. “They’re all here. I talk to them all the time.” “You do?” “Course. My sister is always with me. Tim will always be with you.”