One of the Demons
The demons fly and snort, laughing at us as we wait. The summer sun shines through the slits of uncovered window. My pale skin longs for its touch. I want to get a sun burn. I don’t want to get a demon burn.
The demons don’t breathe fire, but their spit is acidic. For several days, our president let us go out with or without these demons flying around. I saw the best minds of my generation boil and spill out of countless nostrils. I’ve grown up too fast. My parents apologize with their eyes whenever they see me look out the boarded up window.
The demons don’t shut up. They taunt the old people and young people differently. I hear them talk about playgrounds and theme parks. They also say how cute my crush looks lately and how she’s only a block and a half away. I don’t know what my parents hear the demons say, but I know it’s something sad. Their tears are making the room more humid.
The demons fly and spit into our walls at night. It’s no use trying to sleep with the constant thumping and hissing. My cats go crazy at the sound of the bricks melting into red sludge. My parents keep crying like babies without a boob. I’ll never forget that sound, no matter how much the president wants us to think of something, anything else.
The president tells us nonsense. A few weeks ago he swore to God that the demons will go away if we starved our infants into oblivion. He’s gone on record saying he’s friends with the demons and knows what’s best for the rest of us. He knows he’s okay whether or not these demons will stay. I ask my parents if we’re okay. They cry.
Philip James Sterwerf
Bio:
Philip James Sterwerf was raised in Mount Healthy, Ohio. He has two books available on Amazon; Modern Man and Other Creatures, and Lady Liberty. Since his 2015 graduation from Bowling Green State University, he’s published multiple flash fiction stories in various online journals including Midwestern Gothic and Flash Fiction Magazine. In 2014 he was awarded the Howard McCord Poetry Award from his Alma Mater’s litmag Prairie Margins. Philip’s also written many news and opinion articles, short film scripts, sloppy comic strips and punk rock songs. Visit philipsterwerf.com for an easy access to all of his life’s work thus far.
