the boys are all very soft, mushy in the middle and crumbling apart at the edges. they’re sent to a special school, a facility, a sort of holding place. they’re each given their own room. privacy is important they’re told.
there are group meetings every day. at the meetings the boys are allowed to touch softer objects. wet clay, pillows, bunnies. but this bunny is firm, a boy complains. the administrator apologizes and the bunny is removed by a bunny removal technician.
the technician looks grim. holds the bunny hard against his stomach. the bunny barely squirms. tucks ears back. eyes slit. don’t worry boys, the technician says, this bunny will be okay. a few of them believe it.
Brandi Wells is the author of This Boring Apocalypse (Civil Coping Mechanisms) and Please Don’t Be Upset (Tiny Hardcore Press). She is pursuing her PhD in creative writing and literature at the University of Southern California and has an MFA in creative writing from the University of Alabama.
