100 Proof

“I went to see Sherlock Holmes. I don’t recommend it,” said the wild-haired man in line at the mini-mart. “It’s a whole lot of fighting, and they didn’t do that much fighting back then. Not as a doctor of forensics.”

“How do you feel about slavery?” the defendant asked the potential juror.

The potential juror clutched her purse tighter. “Historically?” she asked. “Or modern?”

“It’s a broad question,” responded the defendant, who was representing himself. “However you want to respond.”

“Historically, it’s wrong,” the potential juror said, her eyes darting to the courtroom door. “Today, it’s wrong.”

*Thanks to Evan Karp and Rajshree Chuahan for hosting the first night of the Quiet Lightning reading series, and for including me in the party.

“She scares me,” said the little boy peering up at the Richard Avedon photo of Björk. Then he turned and looked around the entire room of portraits. “These people just don’t smile.”

“I want to watch this movie sometime, but I can’t remember what it is.” The man at the bar gestured up at the silent television overhead. “It’s weird. About robots.”

“Transformers?” asked the girl, though what was on the screen was animated.

“No,” he said. “It’s some weird Pixar-type thing.”

“You mentioned you were a magician,” said the defendant, who was representing himself.

“No, musician,” said the potential juror. “If I was a magician, I’d disappear right now.”

“Can you take me with you?” asked the judge.