Tender Is the Flesh

by Agustina Bazterrica

He drives slowly through the city. There are people around, but it seems deserted. It’s not just because the population has been reduced. Ever since animals were eliminated, there’s been a silence that nobody hears, and yet it’s there, always, resounding throughout the city. It’s a shrill silence that can be seen on people’s faces, in their gestures, in the way they look at one another. It’s as if everyone’s lives have been detained, as if they were waiting for the nightmare to end.

His sister’s words are like dry leaves piled up in a corner, rotting.

“She had the human look of a domesticated animal.”