further_down raze fifteen items or less, the cashier says. i have only one: a worn paperback copy of "the loneliness of the long distance runner". it was either this or a film i haven't seen in years. i hand her a twenty and get a five and some change back. she cracks a caustic joke that gets a laugh out of me and admits she's surprised. most people don't appreciate her sense of humour. i tell her laughter is one of the only real weapons we have against the darkness that surrounds us. it's a long walk home from here. when i get to where i want to be, i crawl into a tent that leads me to the bottom of a well. i realize too late that there's nothing to eat where stone stands on a stream i can't see. at least i've got something to read while i waste away. it's a good thing i didn't buy that thirty-dollar dvd. 250808 what's it to you? who go blather from