NEW FICTION:

He broke open the bottle, then broke open the face. He had another's blood on his hand, and had another's whimper in his ear. He stood tall and even, stood tall and mean, but like life - all was often a fantasy. He hummed the name of the frightened boy in front of him, hummed the boys secrets - both fears and hopes, hummed all the boys daily prayers and affirmations. It was pitiful to see and to sense, but it was as real as they come. The boy in front of him began to cry, so he shifted his head in interest, but the frightened boy only flinched. He sighed to see and sense the fear, the sheer stupidity of it all - there was no sense, no reason, there was just the dumb broken face before him, the whimper in his ear, and the serpent wrapped tightly around his steel heart.