She awoke slowly aware that the room was

She awoke slowly aware that the room was so black, the silence so complete it had weight and seemed to be suffocating

even her eyelids, which had over the course of the night become crusty with the remnants of her tears. She groggily sat

on the porch and watched the pickup trucks drive wearily on. They didn't even stop anymore, the way they used to when

when cokes cost a dime and were really "cokes" and gum was a penny and all the kids would just drive up and down the

block playing their "rock and roll" music. Those were the good old days, back before "IT" happened. You can't even say

Kevin Bacon or Chuck Berry were to blame. Theory has it, it was

it was six degrees to one half dozen of the

loaves of bread that spilled on the street.

Poor, poor Sampson. All that hair, and not enough breathmints to save us from the garlic...