Oblong

by Troy Parks

October 18, 2011, 1pm-6pm

Hour 5: Fred Thompson shoots himself after releasing fifty-one animals (tigers, lions, boar, llamas, horses, monkeys, two gorillas, and two zebras) from their cages in his private zoo. The gorillas stay in the house – they lived in there. The hillbillies in the area begin an all-night safari hunt.

Hour 4: Fred walks in the door of the cabin on his farm to find his wife, Terry, waiting to tell him she’s leaving him for his longhaired cousin Don. Fred throws a fit and the gorillas start bellowing so Terry leaves and Fred bellows along.

Hours 3 and 2: Fred rides a Greyhound from Mansfield to Zanesville, thinking all the time of his animals and his farm, excited to see his longhaired cousin; his wife would be waiting; it’s always too foggy.

Hour 1: Fred is released from Mansfield State Penitentiary after serving one year for possession of automatic weapons. Fred showers, then collects two wooden bobcats he carved and his DB White books. On the phone Terry says she and his longhaired cousin Don are waiting.

– Troy Parks is an MFA candidate at Northwestern University. He is working on a novel, a collection of short stories and a 16mm film installation exhibit. A native of Ohio, Troy currently lives in Evanston, Illinois.