This is a group of tinycentric writers and illustrators/artists, creating and discussing original stories and artwork.
Joe
I walk to the bar on Joe’s street. I don’t look at his house. I don’t ever look at his house. Miss Crocodile waves me over, patting the stool next to hers. As usual, she wears a long skirt, hiding the no-tail that was shot off by a short-sighted lover or his betrayed spouse. Either or.
“He wouldn’t tell me the truth, then,” she says. “And now, three years later, he can’t remember. He’s erased the memory, but can’t erase the history.”
“Just like Joe,” I tell her. “Your tail, my heart." I pull down the neckline of my dress. No point in saying that Joe’s a hunter.
“I can hardly see it,” says Miss Crocodile, running her finger over the faint white line. “But I can feel the steel beneath. It’s made you very strong.”
“It's the old heart that was weak,” I remind her. “There's cast iron now, bullet-proof, impossible to break.”
Miss Crocodile orders cocktails two at a time and pushes her second drink to me. “Tell me about Joe,” she says, taking a sip. The drinks are good and strong. “Oh,” she cries. “Almost forgot.” She lifts her skirt and underneath it lies a sleek green tail. “I got it last Saturday.”
I'm surprised. I remember outrage, hands wringing. Her scar, my scar. This tail looks good. Substantial. I feel the rise of sharp desire, seeing her sweep it across Joe’s desk, sending his papers, pictures, laptop and pistol flying. It might discharge. The pistol, I mean. Shrieks, then silence - I’d pay to see that. I must tell Miss Crocodile of my new taste for violence. She'll understand. First, I give her a congratulatory hug.
“The tail’s magnificent. Where did you find it?”
She drains her glass and reaches for mine.
“You don’t mind...?” She takes a long draught and closes her eyes. “I bought it in a mall, but it’s of good quality. One-of-a-kind. Now tell me. About Joe.”
“It’s hard to fight desire,” I say. Again I feel its rise. The tail. Coiling, striking. Brute force or venom. Either or. “He’s a marked man, nonetheless.”



