They carved out my soul and threw it in the dumpster out back, and now I feel better. There are festering knots buried deep within a soul; now they’re in there rotting with the mice and rubbish. There is no jagged scar anymore, only smoothness. Smooth smooth smooth—smoothness forever.

Ben is a high school junior who writes stories on the side. His work has previously appeared in 365 Tomorrows.