bad joke

I'd finally come to the end of yet another long, grueling night of walking around Denton and reading my e-book, when I noticed that I was out of smokes. So, I went into Walgreens to buy a pack for one last lap around the town, and the guy in line behind me tossed a box of condoms onto the counter and said to the clerk, "Hey man, these are used. Do I get a discount? Heh heh heh. Heh... heh. Heh. Ahem...

Now, let me ask you... have you ever been present when a bad joke was delivered, and nobody laughed, and everybody - the young, old, weak, strong, guilty, innocent - EVERYBODY had to suffer through the intoletrable aftermath of uncomfortable silence? Imagine a terrible, terrible weapon - one that nobody would ever actually contemplate using, because the effects are devastating beyond comprehension - falling into the hands of a moron and actually being used in a random sneak attack against a group of completely neutral and unsuspecting folk; good, honest, law abiding citizens who haven't the capacity to even imagine such an atrocious act of unspeakable evil.

As you have most likely gathered, this actually happened tonight. I was a witness. I fled the scene, but I'm willing to testify.

4 years

As I walk by the church tonight, I can see oil lamps burning through the windows. It's strange to think that four years have passed since I first stepped foot in there. In a lot of ways I still feel like a stranger there, but at the same time, seeing those burning lamps gives me a feeling of security, like those are the home fires being stoked and tended.