A Sound Mind

A cold front has moved in. The aren't any winds blowing, the reek of the cattle is lingering and intensifying. It has been utterly stifling all day. By the time I boarded the train this evening I could barely see straight. It was a full car and I ended up sitting next to some older cattle. They were prattling on about the economy and politics. Listening to them was like an icepick in my skull. Luckily they got off a few stops later and I was left with a momentarily empty space next to me. At the next stop Mirror Man boarded the train and sat next to me. He looked at me and acknowledged my presence. I was a little taken aback. I wasn't sure how to proceed. I tried to engage him in conversation using my best "human mask", but he didn't seem interested. He briefly stared at me and then turned his attention to watching the cattle. The silence between us was very unsettling. After several minutes we came to the Heights. He stood up, looked down at me and said "They all deserve to die". The words sent a shiver through my body as he walked off the train.