Flash Back

Age 12

“What's going on?”

“Some guy accidentally crashed a plane into a building in the city”

Laughs.

“No. Really. People are dead.”

Laughs stop.

“What? Like a large plane?”

“Yea”

Just then a teacher went by crying... a male teacher. Skyler, who's concern that day was whether or not he was going to get in trouble for bringing in a fart machine to class, suddenly became aware that things were serious.

The next period during Math class, a girl who Skyler did not really converse with, began crying....crying so hard that they had to escort her out of the room. One hour later Skyler, along with 90 percent of his classmates, were being picked up by their parents.

At home Skyler's eyes were fixated on the television set...this wasn't one of his action movies...it wasn't a cartoon. It was real life...real murder.

It was crazy. This was human beings. All the things the adults have been hiding from him for so long...for twelve years.

It was no accident: it was on purpose.

Explosion

People jumping

Building collapsing

Everybody crying...

This was worse than any story Skyler could bring up in his life...because this time...it was millions of people filled with a loss of hope, and not just his lousy self.

Skyler glanced at the fart machine on his bed, took its batteries out, put it back in his closet, and wept...

…. Amen