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R.J. Butler

The Gunslinger’s Go Boat

R.J. Butler

The gunslinger put his revolver in a sack and rented a rowboat.

The lake was flat. It was like a blank piece of paper. He rowed with a seriousness reserved for funerals and card games, every splash sounding like an apology.

The gunslinger admitted to himself that he always wanted to be a seahorse but lacked the correct breathing apparatus. He drifted off into the sunset that holstered the day.

The boat never fired.

It had an alibi.


R.J. Butler

Bubbles in the Air

RJ Butler

They floated like ideas.

Each one held a tiny reflection of the afternoon. Distorted honesty.

A boy tried to pop one and transformed into a unicorn with the knowledge of flight and how to achieve world peace, whilst the others burst quietly, apologizing for their mere existence.

The sky wiped its mouth dry, and the clouds cried.