Foodchain

The disc to spin, slowly. Frank swallowed and exhaled through his nose. A

A

Something deep inside Frank relaxed its clenched fist just a bit, and he found himself gri

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this good.

* * * * *

As they staggered slightly away from the Wheel of Screams, still feeling the effects, Frank wanted to ask A

The bottle missed, and by the time it had shattered against the pavement, Ernie had launched himself at Theo. They went down, Theo tearing at the Ernie’s Laker jersey, Ernie slamming punches into Theo’s midsection. The rest of the Glouck boys swarmed the two fighters while Theo’s friends slipped through the crowd and ran.

For the third time that night, Frank wondered where the clowns were, but didn’t have time to wonder long because A

A

“Little boy, what is the matter with you?” A

Theo started to yell something, but A

Theo had just about straightened from the kick when the little Glouck girl expertly flipped a rock the size of a cell phone at his head, not particularly fast or furious, just hard enough to smash his ear against his head, splitting the cartilage and skin. He went back to his knees, suddenly realizing that the entire Glouck family, except for the mothers, had surrounded him.

“Get on home to Daddy, little boy,” A

She came back to Frank, shaking her head. “Boys, boys, boys,” she said with a grin. “I’d better go too.” She cocked her head. “Are you going to be in town long?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“Yeah.”

“Then maybe I’ll see you around.” She smiled at him again and Frank felt that warmth, as if everything inside of him, floating free after the ride, had settled down into a safe place for a comfortable nap. She turned and waved, just once, on her way to the parking lot. Frank wasn’t even aware he was waving back until he caught his hand in the air.

Frank was far from a virgin; the horse world was full of women that gladly rode any horses or men within reach. Still, when A

* * * * *

Frank drove back to the auction yard, pla

He walked back up the low hill, still lost in the rushing sensation of the Wheel of Screams and A

“Been looking for you. Heard you accepted the job.” Chuck jumped out of the truck and shook Frank’s hand vigorously. “Glad to fuckin’ hear it, believe me.”

Frank wasn’t sure what Chuck was talking about.

“’Bout time this town had itself a new veterinarian.”

“Oh. Yeah.”

“Hop in. We got it all set up.”

“Okay.” Frank climbed into the passenger side. “You got anything to drink?”

Chuck laughed, tossed Frank a bottle of Seagrams 7, and turned the truck towards town. “How was the barbeque?”

“Good, good.” Frank took a long pull off the bottle. “Cooked a hell of a lot of chicken on that coal bed you built. Ate ‘til I thought I might bust.” Frank took another long drink. “Lotta people there, even that crazy family, Glouck or something.”

“No shit? Those goddamn fucks had the balls to show themselves? They eat much?”

“Yeah, the boys did, all right.” Frank passed the bottle to Chuck and leaned back, feeling good, feeling like he was a part of something, like he belonged here. The air from the open windows felt cool, and looking out over the landscape, watching the moonlight reflected off the water in the rice fields, the atmosphere was almost tropical. “Went on a ride with the oldest girl,” Frank said. They passed a gas station, an abandoned burger joint, then into the heart of the dark town. “Pretty sure her name was A

“No! No! No shit?” Chuck shouted, gripping the steering wheel with both hands. “Holy fuck, that didn’t take long.” He laughed, gri

“It was…good. Nice.”

“Nice. ‘Nice,’ he says.” Chuck shook his head. “Fuck man, she’s the best. The absolute champ. None better. None. ‘Nice.’ You fucking kill me, man. How much did she charge you?” Yard after yard was stuffed with overgrown dead grass.