Oklahoma Gothic

Al always said I did my best work on fish, but I think I do just fine on deer mounts and hogs and the like. Al says the eyes just don’t look right, but I disagree. A lot of people either hate or discredit modern taxidermy, everyone has their reasons.  I used to take photos of my work; creations posed in some clever way. I posted them online and got some feedback for a while, but then some said it was a gross display of pride, some said it glorified the murder of animals, some just couldn’t seem to appreciate the effort put into such art. They’d criticize and go on-and-on poking fun at my work.  I stopped posting photos online and started sending them directly to my friends who actually seemed to enjoy them. I worked extra hard on my next pieces for my small, select   audience. My ex-wife Jessica, Al, and his wife Cindy were really the only audience I maintained. I sent them photographs of my work, and for a while, they would reply with kind criticisms or simple appro...

Leaves and stones raked by bleeding nails on splintered fingers revealed freshly packed earth, black as the overhead sky. “You aint got no reason to be diggin’ out there,” his daddy had warned, “leave ‘em be.” One night he snuck out and followed his daddy to the place he had buried them. At the snap of a twig his daddy swung the spotlight on him. “I told you not to come back here!” He buried him alive with the rest of the family, packed the earth and covered it with leaves and stones, just like his daddy.

The girls want me to give in, they want me to sleep. I will do my best to finish this letter before I do. My buddies and I were at a bonfire a few months ago when I first saw them—three girls dancing together around the fire. Something about them seemed familiar. I asked my buddies if they knew the girls, none of them did. I introduced myself to one of them. She said her name was Issi and with a grin, danced back to her friends. Once the fire burned down and everyone prepared to leave, I noticed the girls were gone. No goodbyes, no tail-lights, no dust rising from the road. The girls had vanished from the party, but lingered in my mind. Weeks later, we got together at the same place, and once more, the girls attended. I said hello and asked if they had plans after the party. They said it depended on me. That night I dreamed I were a buck after three doe. I followed them through the woods until we came upon this clearing. When I awoke the next morning, I lay naked in a heap ...