 | A WRITER'S WIT |
A Cold Little Boy
October 19, 2015, Ben Marcus, “Cold Little Bird”: Ten-year-old Jonah abruptly indicates to his parents, Martin and Rachel, that he longer loves them, no longer needs or desires their love and attention. ¶ What is more, this very intelligent boy twists the dagger once he’s inflicted the initial pain. He becomes more like an adult, helping out with this younger brother, to the degree, however, that he begins to indoctrinate the six-year-old, is able to tame the boy’s tantrum at the dinner table. Jonah is so skilled in his calculations that he blackmails his father into not hugging him, by threatening to report him to the school officials for touching him inappropriately. The narrative blows wide open when Martin finds Jonah reading a book blaming 9-1-1 on the Jews. Because the family is nominally Jewish, and because Jonah’s sympathies seem to lie with the lunatic author of the book, the boy’s parents decide it’s time to seek a therapist. The boy’s cold, calculating ways are not resolved in this chilling but perceptive story except perhaps by way of the last sentence, which, in a sense, gives the reader a clue:
“On the cover a boy, arms outspread, was gripping wires in each hand, and his whole body was glowing.”
The author edited New American Stories, an anthology that came out in July.
Photograph by Tina Winkhaus.
NEXT TIME: My Book World—Katie Cortese's Girl Power
“On the cover a boy, arms outspread, was gripping wires in each hand, and his whole body was glowing.”
The author edited New American Stories, an anthology that came out in July.
Photograph by Tina Winkhaus.
NEXT TIME: My Book World—Katie Cortese's Girl Power
READ MY ‘BEHIND THE BOOK’ BLOG SERIES for My Long-Playing Records & Other Stories. In these posts I speak of the creative process I use to write each story. Buy a copy here!
Date of Original Post:
11/13/14 — Introduction to My Long-Playing Records
11/20/14 — "My Long-Playing Records" — The Story
11/27/14 — "A Certain Kind of Mischief"
12/04/14 — "Ghost Riders"
12/11/14 — "The Best Mud"
12/18/14 — "Handy to Some"
12/25/14 — "Blight"
01/01/15 — "A Gambler's Debt"
01/09/15 — "Tales of the Millerettes"
01/15/15 — "Men at Sea"
01/22/15 — "Basketball Is Not a Drug"
01/29/15 — "Engineer"
02/05/15 — "Snarked"
02/12/15 — "Killing Lorenzo"
02/19/15 — "The Age I Am Now"
02/26/15 — "Bathed in Pink"
Listen to My Long-Playing Records Podcasts:
03/12/15 — "A Certain Kind of Mischief"
03/26/15 — "The Best Mud"
04/02/15 — "Handy to Some"
04/09/15 — "Tales of the Millerettes"
04/16/15 — "Men at Sea"
04/23/15 — "My Long-Playing Records"
04/30/15 — "Basketball Is Not a Drug"
05/07/15 — "Snarked"
05/21/15 — "Killing Lorenzo"
05/28/15 — "Bathed in Pink"
Also available on iTunes. Watch for more podcasts!
Date of Original Post:
11/13/14 — Introduction to My Long-Playing Records
11/20/14 — "My Long-Playing Records" — The Story
11/27/14 — "A Certain Kind of Mischief"
12/04/14 — "Ghost Riders"
12/11/14 — "The Best Mud"
12/18/14 — "Handy to Some"
12/25/14 — "Blight"
01/01/15 — "A Gambler's Debt"
01/09/15 — "Tales of the Millerettes"
01/15/15 — "Men at Sea"
01/22/15 — "Basketball Is Not a Drug"
01/29/15 — "Engineer"
02/05/15 — "Snarked"
02/12/15 — "Killing Lorenzo"
02/19/15 — "The Age I Am Now"
02/26/15 — "Bathed in Pink"
Listen to My Long-Playing Records Podcasts:
03/12/15 — "A Certain Kind of Mischief"
03/26/15 — "The Best Mud"
04/02/15 — "Handy to Some"
04/09/15 — "Tales of the Millerettes"
04/16/15 — "Men at Sea"
04/23/15 — "My Long-Playing Records"
04/30/15 — "Basketball Is Not a Drug"
05/07/15 — "Snarked"
05/21/15 — "Killing Lorenzo"
05/28/15 — "Bathed in Pink"
Also available on iTunes. Watch for more podcasts!
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