The Sky Father Gang

Experimenting with black crystal is what drove The Sky Father Gang into the city, wide-eyed and tongue-out. Demonstration of madness. Neon insanity. Boys and girls in undone robes showing crystal laced underwear screwed and bled in city streets. Brother didn’t wear underwear, only robe, he was leader. The Sky Father Gang took turns inserting crystals inside each other’s holes and created new openings in their stomachs, chests, and thighs. Those in the city streets took pictures on phones and uploaded them to websites. The city charged the village to remove the crystals, to repair the bruised bones and missing skin at a place called a hospital. Rumors said The Sky Father Gang were close to finding a solution to increasing count, a way to live longer. A news report showed them jumping in the court- room, skeletal-lunging faces that spit white goo at a pale-faced judge with red hair. Cameras followed. The Sky Father Gang kicked a table over and laughed with their heads tilted back. They tackled a guard, everyone falling to the floor, and the Gang spun their bodies by kicking their feet against the floor. Brother howled in a fish-flop on the guard. Brother was the loudest. Brother was raw. Brother believed in what they were trying to accomplish. Why not try to extend your life if that’s all there is to do.

Shane Jones is the author of several books. A new novel, Crystal Eaters, will be published in 2014 by Two Dollar Radio. Shane lives in Albany, NY.