Table of Contents
Title Page
Table of Contents
Dedication
Copyright
Author's Note
THE STORM
THE TRAIN
ZUMA PEDLEY
I AM EXPLORING
SHE TRUSTED
WHILE I WAS AWAY
THE GUNNYSACK
MOUSE AND I
HE CALLED AGAIN
TODAY I'M JIMI HENDRIX
LORD MUMFORD
THERE IS A KNOCK AT THE DOOR
HUMANITY SERVICES
THE MUSEUM GUARD
CLIFF KNODES
I HAD NEVER
"ARE YOU MY MOMMY?"
NOT FAR FROM HUNTSVILLE
THE BOOK SITS IN MY LAP
HE DIDN'T
I BRING
THE WANKER IN THE WARDROBE
OPEN THE GODDAM DOOR, RONNIE!
THE OAK TABLE
HE FISHED
THE FLOOR MANAGER
THE PRISONER OF NOISE
MY LIFE IS NOT
THERE WAS A MOUSE
TURNS OUT
"GERONIMO!"
I SAW YOU
THE LOOK ON THE NURSE'S FACE
FREEDOM
THE ASPEN SHIMMERED
THE SCHOOLGIRLS
I DON'T KNOW HOW
THE ROWBOAT
NOT MUCH TO DO
THE HOUSE
I'M ALONE ON DECK
HUEY "PUDGE" WILSON
MUD
FROM THE RIDGE
THOUSANDS OF STARLINGS
FOR-EV-UH
I DON'T CARE MUCH FOR PLUCKY HEROINES
HOOVES
I SECURE THE HOUSE
I LOOKED
HE SPLASHED
I KISS
HE FOLLOWED HER
DON'T
DANNY AND I
THE BEAUTIFUL YOUNG WOMAN
THE DOG
I'VE NEVER SEEN
CHEAP AND GAUDY
I KEEP MY FRIENDS IN A BOX
THEY ARE CLOSING THE MINE
SHOT BY A MONKEY
THE NORWOOD
HIS CHUTE FAILED TO OPEN
I CORK HER NAVEL
HE WAS HANDCUFFED
I READ
THE SERVANTS SEEM PECULIAR
STUMBLE
I QUIT
MICK JAGGER BLEW HIS NOSE
WANT A SANDWICH?
I'M THE ONLY DADDY
SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL
THERE IS A DEEP HOLE
WE ARE ON A RIDGE
KISS ME A QUESTION
THE HOTEL WAS ON FIRE
I HAD AN IDEA
I HAD NEVER
THE ROAD CLUTCHES
ANN O'DYNE
I LIVE IN THE POCKET
IN
THERE WAS A MAN
I RISE
THE NURSE LEFT
THERE IS A PLACE I
SHE LOVED SECRETS
THE RHUBARB
THERE'S A GLASS
SHINBONE AND NUSBAUM
THE TRAIN
DON'T DRINK
I CAN'T HEAR YOU
CRAWFOOT
THE OTHERS
THE ELEVATOR IS BROKEN
A BIRD LIVES ON MY HEAD
WE WERE
HER MOUTH
I SIT IN THIS ROOM
I WAKE
THE FIRE AND SMOKE
THE SKY
HIS HANDS
HE SAID
THE NEW
WHAT'CHA WANNA
I WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL WITH THE KING
SHE WAS INDISCRIMINATE
THE LONG CARGO SHIP
I STOLE
LITTLE FLUFF
HER FEROCITY
JESSE PAINTED
SHE SHOWED HIM THE TIES
"SHUT UP,"
RAY WAS THIS TENOR PLAYER
THE SKY
SHE WAS FROM TRINIDAD
I OPEN THE CAN
DO YOU
SHE SAT
I WAKE UP
OH
AFTER
THE LIGHTS
IRIS BEDLICK
A PORCH
SHE LOVED HIM
RONNIE
I LAY THE BOOK
EDDIE FORMED
THE POND
VERA "WOOLY" LAMB
THE BODY IN THE BACK SEAT
IN THE GRAY
AFTER SHE FLED
JOE PRINGLE
I FLAY
IT WAS A LARGE SHIP
HE WAITED
"LET ME IN!"
GEORGE
HER SUMMER DRESS
THE CITY BELOW
THEY BOUGHT
I DROP IT INTO
ARDELLE PHELPS JR
HE SITS IN THE SUN
I REMOVE MY HEADGEAR
THEY'VE TAGGED
I WAS NEW
WHEN I WAS TWELVE
I WET
THERE IS A TURD
THEY PUT ME IN A CHAIR
THE BLOODLETTING
THE BRIDGE
THERE IS A TERRIBLE ROCK
WHEN I DIE
YEARNING
HE DISMOUNTED
THE SEA
HOT IN THE BAIT SHOP
THE RAVEN SWAYS
YEARS BACK
THE ORCHARD
Acknowledgments
List of Audio
Rust, Jeff Bridges (0:29)
Mumford, Ian McShane (0:21)
Path, Ian McShane (0:26)
Cigarette, Dave Alvin (0:28)
Reno, Dave Alvin (0:24)
Postcard, Jeff Bridges (0:32)
Blood, Jeff Bridges (0:25)
Idea, Dave Alvin (0:16)
Finch, Jeff Bridges (0:36)
IKEA, Ian McShane (0:26)
Kitty, Dave Alvin (0:24)
Hen, Jeff Bridges (0:31)
Surprise, Ian McShane (0:31)
Dusting, Dave Alvin (0:29)
Grounded, Ian McShane (0:28)
For my mother, Emily Lubicz
Copyright © 2011 by Lou Beach
All rights reserved
Grateful acknowledgment is made to Dave Alvin, Jeff Bridges, and Ian McShane for their recordings of the following stories: "Rust," "Mumford," "Path," "Cigarette," "Reno," "Postcard," "Blood," "Idea," "Finch," "Ikea," "Kitty," "Hen," "Surprise," "Dusting," and "Grounded."
For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book,
write to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company,
215 Park Avenue South, New York, New York 10003.
www.hmhbooks.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Beach, Lou.
420 characters : stories / Lou Beach.
p. cm.
Summary: "The debut fiction project of an acclaimed artist and illus-
trator, 420 CHARACTERS is a collection of sharp and evocative min-
iature stories first presented as Facebook status updates"—Provided by
publisher.
ISBN
978-0-547-61793-0
I. Title. II. Title: Four hundred twenty characters.
PS
3602.
E
226
A
15 2011
813'.6—dc22 2011009143
Book design by Melissa Lotfy
Printed in China
SCP
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Author's Note
The stories you are about to encounter were written as status updates on a large social networking site. These updates were limited to 420 characters, including letters, spaces, and punctuation. The author hopes you enjoy them.
THE STORM came over the ridge, a rocket, dropped rain like bees, filled the corral with water and noise. I watched lightning hit the apple tree and thought: "Fritters!" as we packed sandbags against the flood. There was nowhere to go that wasn't wet, the squall had punched a hole in the cabin roof and the barn was knee-high in mud. We'll bury Jess later, when the river recedes, before the ground turns hard again.
THE TRAIN pulled into the station. I hesitated before stepping down to the platform, then made my way to the shoeshine stand. I sat, put my foot up on the metal rest. The old man looked up before tending to my shoe. "You new in town?" I told him that indeed I was. "OK then," he said and began cleaning my loafer. There was a local paper on the chair next to mine. The headline read:
FIRE IN HOSPITAL MELTS IRON LUNG.
