Halrloprillalar   hal@prillalar.com   http://prillalar.com/

April 13, 1999

RATING: G.

FANDOM/SPOILERS: X-Files. No spoilers.

SUMMARY: Sketch of Spender. Happy.

DISTRIBUTION: Archive anywhere. Email forwarding allowed.

DISCLAIMER: CC, 1013, Fox, not me.


EASY
by Halrloprillalar - hal@prillalar.com

Tension hung in the air between the two men, tension that wound
tighter and tighter around a single point: the muzzle of the
semi-automatic. Neither man would back down and the tension
increased another notch. Something had to give. Something did. The
gun went off, shattering the silence and spattering the walls with
blood.

Jeff turned the page. The sun beat down on the back of his neck and
he adjusted the peak of his cap to shade the magazine a little.
Trashy detective fiction was his guilty pleasure and today he
indulged it with a lazy vengeance.

Picking up his pint mug, he took a long pull of the stout,
savouring the dark flavours of the cool draught. Just the thing to
fill in the spaces around the double cheeseburger and fries,
specialty of the house.

He came to the end of the story and left the magazine open in his
lap. From inside the pub, smoky blues music floated out and wafted
around him. Broken hearts on a sunny afternoon. Bliss. Another
swallow of beer. Look down at the people, scurrying around like
ants. Look up at the clouds, try to see the pictures. Summertime.
The week stretched out before him like white sheets blowing on a
clothesline.

He pressed the mug to his cheek, enjoying the damp of the
condensation against his skin. Closing his eyes, he was...where?
Still...centred...almost had it... "That still centre where the
spinning world sleeps on its axis." Sayers. Gaudy Night. Sometimes
he read more reputable detective fiction too.

Someone came out onto the patio. Jeff opened his eyes to see who it
was. And smiled.

F I N I S

Halrloprillalar   hal@prillalar.com   http://prillalar.com/