Silken Duds

I examine the beautiful intricacies of life while I wait for Mary to finish ironing my silken duds. She knows I've been playing fast and loose for too long. It is only a matter of time until it all falls to pieces.

My stomach is on fire - Mary said that if I eat 4 pints of cottage cheese by sundown, then I will be absolved of all my sins.

Halfway through my second pint I collapse onto our marble floor. The cottage cheese twists and curdles in my lower bowels, then makes a violent escape through my mouth and nose. My head involuntarily thrashes against the floor as a perfect beam of winter sunlight shines through the window and upon my quivering hands.