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Earthworms
- Red Hen Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
75 Earthworms The executioner orders his victims to stand in the pit shooting dead each fresh fleeting installation of condemned persons. He acts on the imperative to work efficiently. He believes that once dirt covers the dead bodies, the pit will naturally become a grave. The grave’s holdings will also disintegrate unbeknownst to the rest of the living . The surface of the ground can be resealed and made continuous again for him and his kin to live and work. Are we surprised that the condemned prisoners do not scream in protest prior to their death? Those ordered to enter the pit address those already shot with soothing words. Those facing their mortal death are proud to stand on the shoulders of their kin. It can be called miraculous that the dead ones remain standing. The executioner considers this fact as an outcome of his good and thoughtful planning. There will be a smaller area for him to conceal. One condemned man giggles with another when the latter explains to his younger sister that the executioner is afraid of earthworms. “The poor idiot wastes so much ammunition because he doesn’t know which end to shoot first or when the animal is actually dead!” ...