Download PDF of Issue #8 - FORTH Magazine

Issue 8 • Spring 2010 FICTIONwww.ForthMagazine.com 5Fable of ContentsOne writer is tasked with symbiotically integrating allthe stories and characters in this issue of FORTH.of a lone Asian elephant by the name of Billy,each trunk, tusk and ear was different.The connection presents itself: Billy the elephantis anonymous note #1. One sign down; twoto go.Relieved and equally pleased with himself for solving the first clue,Morton walks with an extra hop in his step into the kitchen and turnson the television while the kettle begins to boil. The news reportersrepeat the statistics, continuing to instill fear and confuse thepeople, just as they did yesterday to an audience who has nodoubt already forgotten. Although, as is the casewith tobacco, the people keep smoking andthe severity of amnesia’s affect increases bythe minute. Special Report appears across theTV screen as District Attorney Steve Cooleystands at a podium next to Mayor Villarigosa,advocating the benefits of marijuana bothphysiologically and psychologically. Beingone of the few people listening who wouldremember that both opposed the bill at theirinauguration, a confused Morton starts tothread cause with effect. What would benefitcity councilmen by legitimizing a drugthat caused memory loss? Reconciling them,he hypothesizes that lying government officials,high turnover of imported elephants, and an amnesiaepidemic all point to a childhood saying encapsulatingit all: an elephant never forgets.Monday morning’s sunrises and Morton heads tothe zoo. En route, he hears a report onthe radio about Truckers Against ElephantTrafficking, in which they interview a localartist and animal rights activist, BiancaKolonusz-Partee. As he walks in throughthe Zoo gates, he bumps serendipitouslyinto a half-naked man with ACNAIB indeliblywritten across his ribcage. Out ofcharacter, he asks the man what it means.The man lifts his pensive eyes to meet Morton’s,takes a moment to collect his answer and thentells him it’s the name of a loved one written back-fiction bysophiekipnerCarrier pigeons anonymously drop origami-like whitenotes through his window on 7th and Grand. Each onea clue: the first written in magic marker, “Billy.” The nextcame a few days later: “Bianca;” the last, “Noah.” In his dustyoffice turned makeshift crime lab in downtown LA, squinting to readthe fine print through his grandfather’s magnifying glass in a room toodimly lit, amateur Crime Detective Morton FORTHston notices eachnote is sealed with an acronym: ACNAIB. Believing in circumstanceover coincidence, he knows he is on to something, although he’s notquite sure what.On this quiet Sunday night, Morton is a rarity. He willwake up tomorrow- unlike his co-inhabitants- rememberingwhat he did the night before. Thankfulfor his severe allergy to marijuana, he is one offew locals unaffected by the rampant, widespreadepidemic of memory loss plaguing the city sincethe drug’s legalization five years ago. After failingattempts to interact with the public, hefound no use in trying as everything he saidhad to be explained. And then, explained allover again. Left happily to entertain himselfwith matters of importance, like crimesolving, the modern day Francois Vidocq, areal life Sherlock Holmes, assigns himself toinvestigate the correlation between the highturnaround of caged Asian elephants at the LosAngeles Zoo and the increasing rates of amnesiaamong the middle to lower socio-economic classes.Perplexed for some time by the lower rates of memoryloss among the rich, Morton would take his curiositieswith him as he drove cars fullof tourists around LA ina Pink Bus, filled to thebrim with artwork madeof recycled trash. Duringone of his routine stopsa few weeks ago at theLA Zoo, he noticed achange in the elephantson display. Each visit,despite the signs thatindicated the residencyIllustrations by Yuri ElvinContinued on p. 36