Pornography’s Mirror
For many of us the thought of sex in and of itself offers no small portion of exhilaration, but the act itself, especially when performed under haphazard circumstances, brings too much clarity to its detriments. The emotion and splendor to which modern sexual conduct connects itself often allows people the privilege of setting aside the pressing biological mechanics driving the act and the desire to act — which as many of us have learned act out of need rather than want, even if what it needs is not as necessary as it once was. It is only after the act that such awareness is restored. People who engage in casual encounters are often faced with a certain reality following official completion of the act that was hidden preceding the act. Even if all preventive measures were taken against the biological aspects of the act, one is still left with the feeling that they have made a grave error in judgment.
By Chris R. Morgan.
Magic Wand
Raymond Badgely Jr. was turning five. His parents had every intention of booking a room at the Party Palace, but since Raymond Badgely Sr. lost his job earlier that month the family had been making cuts. Late one evening, Marie Badgely flipped through channels hoping to drown out her husband’s snoring when she caught an ad for a children’s magician on the station that runs a low-budget slideshow of local advertisements. Three weeks later the magician was in the Badgely family’s den, clad in his top hat, cape, and faded tuxedo, waving his stick wand and performing amateur slight-of-hand tricks – pulling a never-ending handkerchief out of his breast pocket, linking and unlinking chrome rings, extracting shiny coins from tiny ears. Each little face with a juice-stained upper lip focused on the man.
By Zachary S. Tompkins.