the gypsy

by sylvie anomie

“where are you going?” “to see the gypsy.” “you went to see the gypsy last night.” “i know, but i am going to see her again tonight. what are you going to do?” “i am going to watch mission impossible 2 again.” “you watched top gun last night. don’t you ever get tired of watching tom cruise movies?” “don’t you get tired of going to see the gypsy?” “not yet.” jack put his hat on and headed for the door. “you know, if the gypsy wasn’t so old and ugly, i would think there was something going on between you. In fact I am starting to think there is something , anyway.” jack paused at the door. “think what you want. the gypsy’s door is aways open and so is her window. anybody passing by can look inside and see what is going on.” “yeah, i know, “ jill smirked. she watched as jack went out and closed the door behind him. jill decided to give jack a little head start and follow him. tom cruise could wait for a while. she went and brushed her teeth because she had just finished off a pepperoni and onion pizza, and when she was finished she put her hat on and went out. it was a pleasant evening. couples strolled hand in hand. there was a nice breeze, coming from the river. jill went down to the river. past the post office and nick’s pizza and estelle’s hair salon and bob’s parking and a vacant lot until she came to the gypsy’s little place. she looked in the window. sure enough, there was the gypsy, old and bent and ugly as ever, and there was jack, with his foolish smile on his face. the gypsy had a deck of cards in her wrinkled hand and she took one from it and placed it on the table. jack looked at the card as if it was the most amazing thing he had ever seen , and listened, nodding his head as the gypsy began to expound on it. what fools they both are, thought jill. do they not realize that a turn of a card will never be accepted as final?

the rain

by sylvie anomie

the rain had been falling for thirty days, all over the earth. surely it had to stop some time. but it did not. panic began to grip the citizens of earth. at first the rain was denounced as a hoax, but it kept on falling, obliterating the lower lying regions of the planet. new cults sprang up, gathering millions of followers. old cults were resurrected, with even more followers. threats were made. accusations were hurled. riots broke out in most of the large cities. rivers overflowed, and valleys disappeared under the rising water. alain and johnny returned to the old hotel, high in the mountains, where they had stayed so many years before, and which contained so many memories. in those days johnny had been the most beautiful young man in the world. alain had been the fattest man in the western world, and one of the richest men in the world. how johnny had made alain suffer! now they were two old men, barely distinguishable from each other. alain in particular was surprised and mildly distressed that the chambermaids and bellhops and desk clerks did not seem to remember them. surely, alain remonstrated with marie, the head chambermaid, you must remember us, we were the children of apollo. you must remember the time i got lost, and a rescue party sent out after me? it caused quite an unholy commotion at the time. i am sorry, sir, marie replied, but we have had so many guests over the years - and in any case it was the butterflies who were the children of apollo. ah, then, so you remember the butterflies? of course, sir, i always remember the butterflies. alain and johnny spent long hours sitting in the lobby of the hotel, looking out at the rain, sipping their drinks - absinthe for alain, whiskey for johnny , and saying little. eventually the rain stopped. and the sun came out.