Message-ID: <Pine.NEB.4.40.0110311258150.4155-100000@panix2.panix.com>
From: Alan Sondheim <sondheim@panix.com>
To: CYBERMIND@LISTSERV.AOL.COM
Subject: "The Runaway"
Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2001 12:58:53 -0500
- "The Runaway" Once, in a small town in Ohio, there was a girl with a pierced tongue. She pierced her tongue in defiance of her parents. She was unpopular in high-school and hung out with a few punks who tolerated her. She was good with computers and even better with the old pinball machines you could find at the One-Up. She was the star of Fighting Predator and her hands were quick. She had black hair and spoke in an affected drawl. A guy came to town with his parents. He was enrolled in the same high-school. People said he was a loner. He couldn't stand the place. He had come from a big city. His father was manager of the factory here. The guy hated the small-town ways. He was shunned. Once he was beat up for his lip. He also had black hair and earrings. Some kids tore them out and his ears bled for a while. His eyes just grew darker and more terrifying, especially for those who were scared. The two of them met. It was fated everyone said. They glared out at the world. They ran away together. They were seen going west from the town on the main highway. Some people said they were seen going east. No one could agree. One day people woke in the morning and they were gone. They were remarkable and the town talked about them for a long time. Then they were forgotten except for a few kids at the high-school. Life returned to normal. People felt better about things. _