Issue Three

IGNACIO CARRION
again for good measure, “But for now,
just shut the fuck up.”
We rode for what seemed like forever
though it couldn’t be too far. The
newness of the route deceived me.
We ended the ride in front of a house
that had clearly been a fine house about
a million years ago. It stood abandoned,
choked by an ancient wisteria vine that
filled the air with a sweet, ripe scent that
reminded me of an old lady. It was at
the end of a dead-end street on a large
lot, and it didn’t look like there were any
neighbors nearby.
We left our bikes in the front yard, next
to a gravel driveway and gathered.
“Boy told me about this place,” David
said. He was the kid who had told me to
shut the fuck up earlier.
“Bullshit,” Hank interrupted, “he didn’t
tell you.”
“Well, OK,” David started again,
correcting himself. “I heard him tell
Patsy about it. He said he’d bring her
here today so we better take a look and
then leave. We don’t want to be here if
he comes. Jason, you stay out here and
be our lookout. If Boy shows up, you
need to sound the alarm.”
“Fuck that,” said Jason, “I’m coming with
you guys.”
It was settled. We would explore the
house as a group with no one on the
lookout for Boy.
Boy had gotten his name when his
brother David was just a baby. The story
goes that David, never having said a
word, pointed at his older brother and
said, “Boy.” Their parents thought the
baby was some kind of genius and
decided on the spot that the elder
brother would be called Boy from then
on. Earlier that summer Boy had
bragged about turning sixteen. He was
big for his age and always smelled like
onions. Though we all were, David, his
brother, was especially afraid of him. It
was as though Boy had decided to hate
his brother from the moment David had
pointed at him and made his first sound.
Boy had been with Patsy the last time I
saw him. It’s clear to me now that the
girl was mentally challenged but back
then we all thought she was just dumb.
And a slut. It was well known that Boy
was having sex with her. I was on my
way to the public swimming pool and
wanted David to come with me. As I