A Preface: The Stander

Mostly, I write short fictional tales and fables. But recently, with the passage of San Francisco's ridiculous Sit Lie law, I saw a future flash before me: a world the simple act of sitting becomes a such as dastardly act that the authorities create a new punishment -- standing in the shadows all day long. These Standers, as they are called, must silently stand there as people run their errands, head to and from work, or go for a stroll.

The authorities thought it was a brilliant punishment as this way the passersby would constantly be reminded of the dangers of sitting on sidewalks; it would act as a natural deterrent. But there is a growing rebellion brewing in one Stander's imagination.

This is the preface to the story. It gives a taste. And if you think it couldn't happen...? Remember, I, too, thought the passage of this law was but a hallucination. Sadly, the dystopic futures are closer than any ever imagined.

***
I'm pretending again that I am standing alone at the beep beep Beeps. Only I'm not. There is a frightened boy who clutches trinkets too. He is in that spot where hunger awaits anger. It's surfacing. I can tell. I'm here too. It is why I pretend. He'll learn soon enough how not to smell the charring beef or sizzling oil. It takes time. Years in fact. But slowly it goes away. Mostly.

I still can't not smell onions. They're too sweet and teary. I can't tell why I'm ever crying. This isn't a pretending I should repeat. But I always come back because I've never left. In fact, I'm not sure I can remember before the beep beep Beeps. There is no physical memory of running. My knees don't remember the weight of movement only the burden of stance.

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