BURGERTOWN

bYbY BRAND

By Brandon B

By

Brandon O’Con O’Connor

Bris in the

PitsBris had just replaced the phone. He told his mother he had cancer of the pit (deodorant, the doc diagnosed). A knock upon the door in the other room led him to answering it. It was Oule Lavalender, the younger one. ––Just got off the phone with your moms. Huge bummer dude. What's that smell? Briston? But Bris was busy heavy stepping back to the oven where his pumpkin nut cupcakes were crisping over and smoking.

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WHISKEYREPRINTED WITH CORRECTIONSGosper: I sent the email. Just saying I want to take back the lease or talk about it and see if we can come up with something.Dranda: Good luck. I'm sure something will work out. How was work? What's up?

Gosper: I just made a coffee. I might do a pickleback. I am doing a whiskey shot in a minute. But work sucked.Dranda: Really? You're going to drink whiskey? Have fun I guess.Gosper: I was tired and made $[*omitted]. It was worthless.Dranda: Are you getting drunk tonight?Gosper: No. I'm probably going home. Or maybe into the city for something.Dranda: How was it?Gosper: Was what? The shot? It was fine. I'm a little drunk.Dranda: Cool... Are you drinking more?Gosper: Nope. Just coffee.

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Invisibile TiesDuring the winter, Oule was practicing the art of becoming invisible with Megel Sifter. They were sitting at the bottom of Megel's unfinished pool. The two faced each other on the tough pliable rebar, criss-crossing each other's legs, elbow to elbow, hands placed behind the other's neck, fingers laced like a hairclip, eyes closed, stone-faced, broken by short eruptions of laughter. The pool was empty except for the knotted girls concentrating superhard. A rabbit broke through the dirt wall, confused.

–––I miss the days when we could do this without even trying long. ––I don't remember those days. Look a bunny! Megeline replied. ––You cheated. No wonder. ––Aw, c'm'ere little guy.

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Bris told Oule they needed more bananas. Go pick some, he told her.

She took his machete and bamboo ladder resting against the small metal

shop. Bris made the metal shop himself, and the bamboo ladder, and the

machete. Arm posed through the ladder, at the very middle square, slung

over her shoulder, blade in hand, a blade which did not reflect any light

at the moment. The blade was covered by shadow and that’s why light

didn’t bounce from it.

Bris started panicking, as he always did with food, because of the cupcakes, and where is Oule, where are my bananas?

Padding feet, down into the gulch trail lined by toxic leaves humming a

song she made up, cheerfully. Above her was an enormous banana tree,

but she passed it for a smaller one just ahead. That one she could reach

with the ladder. The bananas were becoming few as this was the only

tree small enough to reach any. She thought of cutting down the big

guys, maybe. That would take a while. She figured it would anyway. So

the tree further down would lose more fruit today. Another day the

others will be cut down, she hoped. salkdmskldmalskdmlskamldkamsd

lkamdl

tOP dOWN––Hey girl! No answer. ––Hey! Hey girl! I can see up your skirt! Hehehe. A banana plopped down on his sweaty head. He bent, thunderstruck, to pick the bruised nanner off the blanket of tropical grass as a machete fell tip down through his arched back and into the blanket of tropical grass and soil, pinning him, if you will. Oule slid down the slick bamboo rails and retrieved the blade from his frozen arched body. Rivulets of blood streaked up the metal to the hilt, and poured down into the blanket of tropical grass. The red spotted against the green was awesome. Oule pried open the man’s fingers clutching the banana and added it to her sack. ––Fuckin’ louse. Gathering her things: the ladder, machete, sack of bananas; she started up the gulch. The red rivulets collected into a stream and were diluted away. The man on the blanket of tropical grass was not in the stream and remained there, lifeless, for a long time.

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The TripAt the end of that long time a man came wandering down the gulch, now more a canyon of stone, and tripped over a rotted arch of bones, sending him into a

cavern filled with diamonds. However, he was displeased nonetheless because diamonds now held little monetary trade value, and he was stuck in a cavern, where he died a week later.

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Invisible Ties, Pt. 2: The RabbitThe rabbit stared at a distance but with the girls' shifting weight on the ribcage of the pool he flitted away, not into his hole, but up a wall and he couldn't get out of the deep end. Megeline unlaced herself from Oule. Oule pouted as she watched Megel tip toe balance like a gymnast across the many lines into the deep end. Reaching the struggling, terrified rabbit, kicking its padded soft feet below itself, gripping itself on the

wall, Megeline came up behind the creature and snatched it from its grip, where it began laughing menacingly. She dropped it, watched it escape the perimeter, and turned around to an empty unfinished pool. Oule had finally disappeared.

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UNLOVEDGosper: I'm gonna call this bike guy.Dranda: If we have to move out at the end of May I might consider living with Oule and her Mom. I don't think I can live with strangers and am really scared of my living arrangement now that you don't want me.Gosper: I think everyone at Burgertown is gay.Dranda: Haha, literally gay?Gosper: Yeah. Bris, and maybe Jurmel, I suspect. Dandis is openly gay.Dranda: That's not really everyone considering the other half that aren't gay.Gosper: I guess.Dranda: Oule’s friends seem cool and a lot quieter than her, so I think it might be livable. I don't know if I can stand living with Oule but she swears she's the best roommate.Gosper: I'm sure she does.Dranda: Are you going to the bike place?Gosper: Nope. I'm gonna go to the city maybe and walk around.Dranda: It's a good day for that. The sky is beautiful.Gosper: I know.Dranda: Do you consider me a positive or negative factor of your life?Gosper: What kind of question is that?Dranda: I think it's a fair question. But you didn't even answer in the affirmative. I'm a little drunk too. I don't want to contribute to your sadness. I'd like to help you.Gosper: You're drunk? On what?Dranda: Doesn't really matter. I want you to know that I care about you though. I'd like to be present in your life no matter what, and I want you to feel that you have one person that loves you for who you are.Gosper: I do know that. It's not about feeling unloved.Dranda: Like, I see you with all your flaws and everything, but I love you. I want you to be happy.Gosper: It's about feeling unsatisfied with my life. For myself.Dranda: I know. I'm sorry I can't alleviate those feelings.Gosper: Don't feel sorry. It's not anything you can do. It's me.