crying

crying can, at times, lead to pain, suffering, and a loss of physical and emotional control. it's worse to watch than go through yourself.

i'm stuck, or stranded is better. i'm stranded with the kid. he's crying in front of me. bawls, weeps, gushes. he's normally very ugly. when he's in a fit i feel the urge to duck and cover.

"are you feeling better buddy?" i'm not so lucky.

snot hangs down from his nose and ear. i have no idea how that happened but it's enough to distract me from my displeasure of existence.

"i, i, i, i, i, i, i." the kid can't talk. it's all i take to not start crying myself.

"i, i, i, i." breath a little. nobody's even here.

"what's wrong pally pal?" which he can't hear through all the snot in his ears.

i'm desperate so i get up, take a few steps away from the tree we've been hanging out by, and run headlong into it at nominal speed. it hurts, but dealing with cindarella here hurts more.

once the blood clears from my eyes, i check in on my audience. i get nervous after my acts. do i still have it? can i make the masses laugh and forget their troubles? has the kid stopped crying? is there still snot on his ear?

yes, there is still snot on his ear. no the kid has not stopped with the crying.

"stop it, please." i try to say, but it comes out funny. the tree accident has dislodged some of my teeth. if the tree took my eyes and ears as well i would praise if for sparing me the pain of the kid.

he bawls on a monsoon level, then suddenly and without warning, he just stops.

i get up on my elbows and smile dumbfoundedly at the silence. i've made it out of the storm, this is what it must feel like to be saved from some catastrophie. is that a plane i hear, has someone seen my smoke signal?

"hey," i sound happy, "hey buddy." way too happy.

"hi merlin." he smiles. an odd expression on a face so red and puffy.

"what happened back there, why the good cry," but i could care less.

"i got a headache from too much ice cream."

"what?" what, a brain freeze?

the kid taps his head to help me understand. "brain freeze."

then i hate him. i hate him so much for being so stupid. i hate him for crying over too much of a good thing. i hate him because of my missing teeth. i hate him because i hate him.

"let's play tag"

i would rather have another round with the tree.

"ok buddy, sounds awesome," i say.

"you're it."