Four Ever

by Sloane Kennedy

“Hey, old man,” I said to Waldo as I held out my hand to him. He ignored the cats and dogs that were circled around me as he slowly stepped onto my hand. Like Skittles, his balance wasn’t great, but I knew better than to try to assist him like I had the macaw.

I’d done my best to match the primary shade of orange, but there was only so much a 3-D printer could do.

God, leave it to him to mortally wound me with nothing more than a few softly spoken words.

snide

Walk away first, Zak. Always walk away first or you won’t be able to walk away at all.

I’d never been a fan of the dark… I’d watched too many scary movies as a kid, I supposed. But if the past six months had taught me anything, scary shit happened whether it was light or dark outside, and the truest evils lurked in the most innocent-looking of places.

I wasn’t an engineer… I was just someone who liked to tinker.

He’s here and he’s okay and anytime you feel this scar, wait for the beat that follows.”