GOOD PERSON

‘  wha’ makes people bad? ’   the question arises out of thin air, the boy’s mind drifting as he draws another in a long line of messy pictures, crayons gripped with a full fist, the image he creates anything but cute. doctors, fires, blood. the pictures look like they were drawn by a five year old, but the topics depicted are far from the innocence expected of such messy drawings.   ‘ wha’ makes do bad things? ’   he asks as if there’s a concrete answer that the man can give, as if the question is so black and white.

❝     wha’s   that?      ❞           asked   as   he   points   across   the   road   at   a   church,   specifically   at   the   absurdly   large   crucifix   that   sits   atop   the   building,   signaling   to   those   nearby   exactly   what   the   buildings   purpose   is.   but   not   to   jason,   a   boy   who   has   so   much   still   to   learn.   religion   a   concept   that   hasn’t   even   begun   to   form   in   his   mind,   far   more   complex   than   most   things   the   boy   understands.           ❝     why’s   tha’   house   got   a   T   on?      ❞

❝  y’know a lot.  ❞  said as if it’s concrete fact, as if the glitch must know all there is to know about anything. it’s not something jason has any evidence to prove, he just knows that the glitch looks older than him, and to jason older and wiser intertwine constantly. even younger and wiser intertwine when it comes to the people around jason, the boy acutely aware of just how different he is.  ❝  d’y’ know why ‘m like this?  ❞  it’s a heavy question, but you wouldn’t know it based on jason’s tone. he asks it with the curiosity of a child asking why they have to wear certain clothes to certain places, as if the answer is simple and solid and not a total mess.  ❝  got powe’s an’... no’ like other kids. differen’.  ❞