Story Story (First Installment)
by Rich Nicholls
Phil felt tired and thirsty. He was more thirsty than tired, though, which was the reason for his opening the refrigerator. He reached for the bottom shelf in the door. As soon as he had the milk carton in his hand, he knew it was empty. He felt used. His cat, who would automatically run into the kitchen whenever Phil opened the refrigerator, felt used too.
Phil opened the front door. The crows cawed at him defiantly as they retreated into the air. They circled invisible silos and came to rest on the telephone wire in front of his trailer. Phil stepped lightly on the frozen metal steps and then walked over to his truck. His cat watched from a window as the vehicle disappeared around the corner.
Phil entered the convenience store. He paid for the quart of milk and then exited. On the sidewalk in from of the store he opened the carton. He drank the milk like champagne, which is to say that he gulped it down faster and more decadently than he normally would. He had a moustache, but he didn't know about those milk ads that he resembled. He just wiped it off. Milk spilled when he was pulling it away from his mouth. One drop hit the floor. It sounded like a pebble hitting a windshield. It kept its shape as it struck, like a drop of mercury, and rolled off the sidewalk and into the street. It was an amazing phenomenon that defied all the laws of physics, but Phil didn't happen to see it. He was busy looking at the billboard which stood high atop the building across from the convenience store. It read, "Got milk?"