Microfiction – 019/365

What is this about?

Inspired By Actual Events

The brothers truly thought they could away with it. Despite the half-finished bottle of Smirnoff and the leftover weed recovered from their vehicle. Despite their ridiculous blood-alcohol levels. Despite the images stored on their phones first of Derrick throwing rocks at the animal, then of him taking their dare and climbing over the rail into the no-man’s-land between the viewing rail and the exhibit and dangling his leg over the wall, then that last blurry one of the “Holy Fucking Shit!” look on Derrick’s face during the last moments of his life when the creature got that first taste of his leg and liked it so much it climbed out for more , much more. Despite all that they thought they could get away with what they did.

And they did. Thanks mostly to the media whore of a high-profile attorney who never fails to find a court of public opinion in which to try a case. The blowhard then managed to convince enough members of the jury that stupid boys will be stupid boys and that ultimately the zoo was to blame, not them. If the enclosure wall had been 16 feet high instead of 12 the tiger wouldn’t have gotten out to mangle them after snapping their friend’s neck with a killing bit and then feasting on his face.

Just desserts, some thought.

Email, RSS Follow

Published by

Will

Will Campbell arrived in town via the maternity ward at Good Sam Hospital way back in OneNineSixFour and has never stopped calling Los Angeles home. Presently he lives in Silver Lake with his wife Susan, their cat Rocky, dogs Terra and Hazel, and a red-eared slider turtle named Mater. Blogging since 2001, Will's web endeavors extend back to 1995 with laonstage.com, a comprehensive theater site that was well received but ever-short on capital (or a business model). The pinnacle of his online success (which speaks volumes) arrived in 1997, when much to his surprise, a hobby site he'd built called VisuaL.A. was named "best website" in Los Angeles magazine's annual "Best of L.A." issue. He enjoys experiencing (and writing about) pretty much anything creative, explorational and/or adventurous, loves his ebike, is a better tennis player than he is horr golfer, and a lover of all creatures great and small -- emphasis on "all."