Sinister in a State of Hope

by Peter Wild

Her mother didn't approve. She said, He's a zombie in that tone of voice she reserved for pronouncements on milk (The milk is off) or the health of flowers (The flowers are dead). She tried to explain, tried to tell her mother what it was all about; but, typically, her opening gambit was denial (He is not a zombie) which didn't get her very far because, after all, he was a zombie. Not that her mother went overboard. She merely said Darling (Dah-ling), stretching the word out as if it was chewing gum or an accordion. As far as her mother was concerned, this said it all and would allow her, at some point future-hence, to preen, peacock-like, comfortable in the glow of howevermany I told you so's.

6S

Peter Wild, author of Deerhoof, makes his online home at peterwild.com. He has most recently edited The Flash, a book of flash fiction featuring contributions from the likes of Jonathan Lethem, Rick Moody and 98 other writers, and it's available from Social Disease, priced £6.99 (with all proceeds going to Amnesty International).