In the first days of Autumn, before bright leaves began to fall, Daniel purposely severed off his pinky finger.
"Fucking Christ!" he screamed, while trying to hack through the bone with a dull machete.
"Jesus!" Thwack. "FUCKING." Thwack. "Christ!" Thwack. "Sweet." Thwack. "Lord." Thwack. "WHY!" Thwack.
"Ahh. Theeere she is." Daniel brought the finger to his lower lip and gently rubbed. "So soft and smooth." He whispered, "So cool. So wonderful."
A steady stream of blood pitter patted on the grey wet cement. It swirled with the falling fresh rain – a psychedelic flexible dance. He smiled dreamily and held up the pinky like an Olympic torch. Daniel ran.
Hard heated heavy breathing. Splash – Thump, Thump – Splash – Thump, Thump. He needed to get to the post office before it closed, it was nearly six o'clock.
Maple trees danced a crazy dance with the wild whirling wind. Orgasmic colored leaves were ripped from their summer seasonal home and tossed mercilessly about in the thick gray day. They waltzed in the sky. Quick, quick – slow – quick, quick – slow. Orange and red dressed leaves whipping round and gliding slow.
Daniel, holding up his severed pinky, running for an envelope and a 37 cent stamp, smiled stupidly. The wild wind and orgasmic waltzing leaves pricked a wrinkled fold deep within his member. Deep within his mind. Amy, he thought. Amy.
Amy swayed her leathery tanned legs over the railroad bridge arch. They swung like two steady pendulums and sang softly in the bright September light. Her finely stitched orange and red silky dress caressed and sighed, hugging at pendulum leather legs. Gray river cobble stones made a dizzying jig-saw puzzle eighty five feet below and the raspberry sorbet evening horizon hummed rapturous Hymnals. Daniel, shut one eye, squinted at the sky, and smeared his finger across it like a child swiping a taste of their birthday cake frosting. Both eyes closed now, he licked his finger. Tart raspberry sorbet – puckering cheeks and all.
"Ain't for me," Amy sighed.
"Everything's for you love." Danial smacked his lips and tried for another taste.
"Lunatic." She leaned back onto the palms of her hands and cocked her head, letting her brown beer barley hair slip gently to one side.
"I'm the grave digger and you're the beggar. Together we'll outwit life."
"Told you. Fucking lunatic." She smiled, curling back her hair behind an ear.
Daniel wanted to suck on her face, not knowing exactly how. He wanted painfully to grab and wander and prod and jive and melt and bubble like butter left too long in the microwave, not knowing exactly why. Daniel was hallucinating. Again.
A silver band bearing a single sapphire wrapped around Amy's pinky finger. It giggled in the piercing autumn light. It twittered. It winked. It sneezed, ever so cutely. It chirped. It sparkled. It rued, sinfully innocent. It meowed. It daintily tripped on its own dazzling wonder. It skipped. It hopped. It sprang from Amy's pinky like a giddy daisy. It tap-danced. It spun in a disco ball flashing fury. It quivered. It playfully shook its sequin mini skirt. And it finally burst like popcorn confetti, shooting Daniel to his feet hooping and hollering and singing joyfully.
"A-tisket a-tasket. A green and yellow basket. I wrote a letter to my love. And on the way I dropped it!" He tried to kiss and coddle Amy's pinky finger.
"You are. You are a crazy ass loon." Amy sprung onto the upper rung of the railroad bridge railing. She walked like a tight-rope walker. Daniel followed close behind on the solid bridge, reaching out for Amy's hand, singing.
"I dropped it, I dropped it! And on the way I dropped it! A little girl picked it up And put it in her pocket!"
Laughing girly, Amy tight-roped ran as fast as she could, Daniel playfully trying to get at her pinky. Echoes of their laughter and song rolled along with the steady river below. And then stopped. The ripples of the water held its breath. The raspberry horizon ceased splashing colors. The gray cobble stones bowed silently. Amy's bare foot and leathery leg kissed and slipped goodbye to the cool steel railing. Falling sideways, her head made a hollow pong against the rail. She fell. She fell endlessly.
Daniel peered over the railing. Amy's red and orange silky dress flared and whipped like autumn leaves in a wind storm. Splash. A tangled awkward pile of brightly colored leaves. Daniel ran.
He got to the end of the bridge and clumsily tripped down the steep embankment. Salmon berry bushes slapped him. Spruce roots grabbed at his ankles. Devil club thorns bit him. The clear flowing water froze him as he frantically searched for his autumn leaf. Amy laid among the gray cobble stones brightly silent, cold water hushing by.
"Amy?" Daniel fell on his knees and grabbed her hand, "I won't sing that song no more. Amy?"
"I won't sing that song any more. Amy? I'm sorry. I won't sing that song any more. Amy?" The river made him shiver, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he began rocking, terrified of the silence, "Amy? I'm sorry. I won't sing that song any more. Amy?" Daniel put his face against Amy's hand. Her pinky sapphire did nothing. Said nothing.
The sleepy church bell tower clock told Daniel that it was ten 'till six. Rain in huge heavy droplets saturated him. His teeth chattered as he ran cold and remembering. The beige colored shades were up and the light was still on in the post office. A man with white speckled hair stood behind the desk straightening the pens in his blue shirt breast pocket.
"Jesus! What the hell happened to your hand?"
"Lopped it off with a big dull knife. Can I buy an envelope and a stamp?" He held up his severed pinky up to the post officer.
"Let me. Well. If. I mean. There are…" the post officer held out both of his hands and made a repetitious gesture towards Daniels hand and severed pinky finger.
"Maybe a manila envelope with the bubble wrap inside?" He put the pinky down and pulled out ripped up and washed out pieces of paper from his pockets. A silver ring with a sapphire and 43 cents eventually fell out onto front desk.
"You alright? Should I call – "
"Gotta pen?"
The post officer dumbly groped around for a pen while staring at Daniel, his bleeding hand, and bluish pinky laying between them. Daniel grabbed the pen and scribbled a note onto one of the bigger pieces of ripped up paper.
Thinking of you!
"Manila envelope then?" Daniel gestured toward the stack of them near the post officer, dripping blood onto the counter. Again, the post officer obliged.
Amy Bail
Yellow Brick Road, Cloud 9
Heavenly, Kingdom 9999
Daniel grabbed the pinky and slipped the sapphire ring on it as best he could and dropped it in the envelope. Finger prints of red dappled the envelope. He licked the adhesive, pushed the 43 cents towards the post officer and handed him the package.
"Thank you!" Daniel clapped his hands together and brightly turned around. The post officer gawked silently at him as he strutted out.
The rain still fell and the wind still blew outside. Autumn leaves did their little dance. Quick, quick – slow – quick, quick – slow. And Daniel followed them, looking for his beautiful leaf to fall again.
"Fucking Christ!" he screamed, while trying to hack through the bone with a dull machete.
"Jesus!" Thwack. "FUCKING." Thwack. "Christ!" Thwack. "Sweet." Thwack. "Lord." Thwack. "WHY!" Thwack.
"Ahh. Theeere she is." Daniel brought the finger to his lower lip and gently rubbed. "So soft and smooth." He whispered, "So cool. So wonderful."
A steady stream of blood pitter patted on the grey wet cement. It swirled with the falling fresh rain – a psychedelic flexible dance. He smiled dreamily and held up the pinky like an Olympic torch. Daniel ran.
Hard heated heavy breathing. Splash – Thump, Thump – Splash – Thump, Thump. He needed to get to the post office before it closed, it was nearly six o'clock.
Maple trees danced a crazy dance with the wild whirling wind. Orgasmic colored leaves were ripped from their summer seasonal home and tossed mercilessly about in the thick gray day. They waltzed in the sky. Quick, quick – slow – quick, quick – slow. Orange and red dressed leaves whipping round and gliding slow.
Daniel, holding up his severed pinky, running for an envelope and a 37 cent stamp, smiled stupidly. The wild wind and orgasmic waltzing leaves pricked a wrinkled fold deep within his member. Deep within his mind. Amy, he thought. Amy.
Amy swayed her leathery tanned legs over the railroad bridge arch. They swung like two steady pendulums and sang softly in the bright September light. Her finely stitched orange and red silky dress caressed and sighed, hugging at pendulum leather legs. Gray river cobble stones made a dizzying jig-saw puzzle eighty five feet below and the raspberry sorbet evening horizon hummed rapturous Hymnals. Daniel, shut one eye, squinted at the sky, and smeared his finger across it like a child swiping a taste of their birthday cake frosting. Both eyes closed now, he licked his finger. Tart raspberry sorbet – puckering cheeks and all.
"Ain't for me," Amy sighed.
"Everything's for you love." Danial smacked his lips and tried for another taste.
"Lunatic." She leaned back onto the palms of her hands and cocked her head, letting her brown beer barley hair slip gently to one side.
"I'm the grave digger and you're the beggar. Together we'll outwit life."
"Told you. Fucking lunatic." She smiled, curling back her hair behind an ear.
Daniel wanted to suck on her face, not knowing exactly how. He wanted painfully to grab and wander and prod and jive and melt and bubble like butter left too long in the microwave, not knowing exactly why. Daniel was hallucinating. Again.
A silver band bearing a single sapphire wrapped around Amy's pinky finger. It giggled in the piercing autumn light. It twittered. It winked. It sneezed, ever so cutely. It chirped. It sparkled. It rued, sinfully innocent. It meowed. It daintily tripped on its own dazzling wonder. It skipped. It hopped. It sprang from Amy's pinky like a giddy daisy. It tap-danced. It spun in a disco ball flashing fury. It quivered. It playfully shook its sequin mini skirt. And it finally burst like popcorn confetti, shooting Daniel to his feet hooping and hollering and singing joyfully.
"A-tisket a-tasket. A green and yellow basket. I wrote a letter to my love. And on the way I dropped it!" He tried to kiss and coddle Amy's pinky finger.
"You are. You are a crazy ass loon." Amy sprung onto the upper rung of the railroad bridge railing. She walked like a tight-rope walker. Daniel followed close behind on the solid bridge, reaching out for Amy's hand, singing.
"I dropped it, I dropped it! And on the way I dropped it! A little girl picked it up And put it in her pocket!"
Laughing girly, Amy tight-roped ran as fast as she could, Daniel playfully trying to get at her pinky. Echoes of their laughter and song rolled along with the steady river below. And then stopped. The ripples of the water held its breath. The raspberry horizon ceased splashing colors. The gray cobble stones bowed silently. Amy's bare foot and leathery leg kissed and slipped goodbye to the cool steel railing. Falling sideways, her head made a hollow pong against the rail. She fell. She fell endlessly.
Daniel peered over the railing. Amy's red and orange silky dress flared and whipped like autumn leaves in a wind storm. Splash. A tangled awkward pile of brightly colored leaves. Daniel ran.
He got to the end of the bridge and clumsily tripped down the steep embankment. Salmon berry bushes slapped him. Spruce roots grabbed at his ankles. Devil club thorns bit him. The clear flowing water froze him as he frantically searched for his autumn leaf. Amy laid among the gray cobble stones brightly silent, cold water hushing by.
"Amy?" Daniel fell on his knees and grabbed her hand, "I won't sing that song no more. Amy?"
"I won't sing that song any more. Amy? I'm sorry. I won't sing that song any more. Amy?" The river made him shiver, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he began rocking, terrified of the silence, "Amy? I'm sorry. I won't sing that song any more. Amy?" Daniel put his face against Amy's hand. Her pinky sapphire did nothing. Said nothing.
The sleepy church bell tower clock told Daniel that it was ten 'till six. Rain in huge heavy droplets saturated him. His teeth chattered as he ran cold and remembering. The beige colored shades were up and the light was still on in the post office. A man with white speckled hair stood behind the desk straightening the pens in his blue shirt breast pocket.
"Jesus! What the hell happened to your hand?"
"Lopped it off with a big dull knife. Can I buy an envelope and a stamp?" He held up his severed pinky up to the post officer.
"Let me. Well. If. I mean. There are…" the post officer held out both of his hands and made a repetitious gesture towards Daniels hand and severed pinky finger.
"Maybe a manila envelope with the bubble wrap inside?" He put the pinky down and pulled out ripped up and washed out pieces of paper from his pockets. A silver ring with a sapphire and 43 cents eventually fell out onto front desk.
"You alright? Should I call – "
"Gotta pen?"
The post officer dumbly groped around for a pen while staring at Daniel, his bleeding hand, and bluish pinky laying between them. Daniel grabbed the pen and scribbled a note onto one of the bigger pieces of ripped up paper.
Thinking of you!
"Manila envelope then?" Daniel gestured toward the stack of them near the post officer, dripping blood onto the counter. Again, the post officer obliged.
Amy Bail
Yellow Brick Road, Cloud 9
Heavenly, Kingdom 9999
Daniel grabbed the pinky and slipped the sapphire ring on it as best he could and dropped it in the envelope. Finger prints of red dappled the envelope. He licked the adhesive, pushed the 43 cents towards the post officer and handed him the package.
"Thank you!" Daniel clapped his hands together and brightly turned around. The post officer gawked silently at him as he strutted out.
The rain still fell and the wind still blew outside. Autumn leaves did their little dance. Quick, quick – slow – quick, quick – slow. And Daniel followed them, looking for his beautiful leaf to fall again.
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