The Tunnel: Billboard
Bart woke alone to the sound of conversation beyond a flapping sheet of tar paper, that apparently served as a makeshift door for the room he'd been shown the night before. In the daylight he could see that the walls were simply sheets of plywood that had been nailed together at the edges; the roof had apparently served as part of a billboard in a past life: a pair of huge, gleaming teeth shone above him, and he had the vague sense of how Odysseus and his men must have felt while in the presence of Cyclops.
Raising himself from a crude mattress of foam cast offs, he stepped through the paper portal and saw Devin sitting before a newly stoked fire, smoking a cigarette, and engaged in discussion with Carl and Pete.
"Well, well, look who's up," Pete said. Devin turned around and squinted his eyes at Bart while inhaling from his cigarette.
"It is I," said Bart in a mock bow.
"Devin here says you got a brother in the Armed Forces."
"That's right ... I do."
"Good man. Where's he stationed at?"
"In the Middle East somewhere. I'm ashamed to say his exact whereabouts are unknown to me at present."
"That is the way it goes sometimes. Pete here did a stint during the first Gulf War. Me, I served a couple tours in Nam. That's where I met Selby."
"All vets, huh?"
"Nearly so. Tell your brother not to expect much help from Uncle Sam when he gets back."
"If he gets back."
"You shut up, his brother's standin' right there for God's sake."
"It's OK, we're not close."
"Well then, let me ask you a political question."
"Shoot."
"Since you got blood on the line, even though you say you ain't close, what's your take on the War?"
"I think we're killin' alot of innocent people, and that just means more Terrorism. It is a self-fulfilling, endless war of aggression by a predatory State."
This last drew low whistles from his audience.
"Heh, see Pete, some of the younger generation is thinkin' for itself after all."
Pete looked over at Devin, "Did you know he felt that way?"
"Can't say I did. We hadn't gotten to talk about the War yet. But it seems we agree." Devin took another long draw from his cigarette and blew the smoke out through his nose.
Raising himself from a crude mattress of foam cast offs, he stepped through the paper portal and saw Devin sitting before a newly stoked fire, smoking a cigarette, and engaged in discussion with Carl and Pete.
"Well, well, look who's up," Pete said. Devin turned around and squinted his eyes at Bart while inhaling from his cigarette.
"It is I," said Bart in a mock bow.
"Devin here says you got a brother in the Armed Forces."
"That's right ... I do."
"Good man. Where's he stationed at?"
"In the Middle East somewhere. I'm ashamed to say his exact whereabouts are unknown to me at present."
"That is the way it goes sometimes. Pete here did a stint during the first Gulf War. Me, I served a couple tours in Nam. That's where I met Selby."
"All vets, huh?"
"Nearly so. Tell your brother not to expect much help from Uncle Sam when he gets back."
"If he gets back."
"You shut up, his brother's standin' right there for God's sake."
"It's OK, we're not close."
"Well then, let me ask you a political question."
"Shoot."
"Since you got blood on the line, even though you say you ain't close, what's your take on the War?"
"I think we're killin' alot of innocent people, and that just means more Terrorism. It is a self-fulfilling, endless war of aggression by a predatory State."
This last drew low whistles from his audience.
"Heh, see Pete, some of the younger generation is thinkin' for itself after all."
Pete looked over at Devin, "Did you know he felt that way?"
"Can't say I did. We hadn't gotten to talk about the War yet. But it seems we agree." Devin took another long draw from his cigarette and blew the smoke out through his nose.
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