The growing that should’ve never come. Never so hard. Never so quick.
Billie brought it.
For once, she had made the choice. Had control of bringing the uncontrollable.
The Finderman sees.
The Collector is pierced through the torso by a fork of ribs; facedown and suspended as if floating. His legs an X by the bedside. Billie’s mass so broken, it’s a perversion of a puzzle undecipherable by not only a man’s eye, but a man’s mind. A swim of guts piled and strewn, the steam from the insides coating the oversized room. The bloody demolition of what once was human shreds. The intellect with horror at what it can’t possibly be seeing.
The scene shrinks the Finderman inside of himself, into a place reserved for passage.
He wishes he could disappear. Completely.
He vomits a measly puddle. His mess white against the red — so many shades of red.
The Finderman leaves the room, for once sorry about what he has found.
~ ~ ~
(The bull is then hooked up to a team of mules who pull him around the ring while the crowd boos and jeers, sometimes pelted by beer cans.)
BULLFIGHTING
Billie Marcus
Grade 5
Social Studies
BULLFIGHTING
Bullfighting is a tradituonal Sport from Spain that has been practiced for many years. It is a contest between the brave matador who boldly risks life and limb to tackle a mad and ferocious beast, which is the bull. It is made up of three thirds: The Lancing Third, The Third of Flags, and The Third of Death. Each part is announced by a trumpet sound.
In the first part, The Lancing Third, the matador comes out in a sort of parade and is dressed in a traditional costume of brilliant colors. There is also music. And he has some guys called banderillos to help him. Then the bull runs into the ring and is tested by the matador with his cape to see how he will react. Then picadors on horseback come out and stab the bull’s neck with their lances so he loses blood and gets weak.
In the second part, The Third of Flags, the three banderillos each stick two sharp barbed sticks into the bull’s shouldery. This makes the bull angry if he was already getting tired from the blood loss from his neck cut.
In the last part, The Third of Death, the matador comes out alone with his cape and a sword. This is when he does the thing with swinging the cape while the bull runs towards him. Towards the end of this display he stabs the bull with his sword on the bull’s shoulder blades and in the bull’s heart.
If the matador has given a good performance the crowd may wave white handkerchiefs, which means they want the president to award him the ears of the bull. They cut them off of the dying bull with knives. If he did a really good job they also cut off the bull’s tail and give it to him.
In Spanish culture the bullfight is seen by many as the mysterious ritual between man and beast. It is a main attraction for any visitors to Spain. But if I ever went to Spain I don’t think I would see a bullfight because it seems violent and mean with lots of blood. I feel bad for the bull because it didn’t do anything to anyone and they should just let the bulls live on ranches and have their lives.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
xTx is also the author of Normally Special (Tiny Hardcore Press, 2011). Her writing has appeared online with PANK, Monkeybicycle, Smokelong Quarterly, elimae, & Dogzplot among others. She lives in Southern California & says nothing at www.notimetosayit.com.