• tab Clyde Hawthorn pulled the knife from his wife's corpse and finished preparing his dinner. He had just come home from a long day of work and sought only to enjoy his dinner and catch the evening news.

    tab He sat back in his recliner and turned on the television. He was initially assaulted by loud, colorful, animated nonsense. A few clicks of the remote later, and the evening news was being rattled off by a striking young lady in a blue blazer.

    tab It was these few, peaceful moments that Clyde lived for. Clyde worked from seven in the morning until eleven at night, still bringing home just enough to support his family's upper middle class lifestyle. He worked as a telemarketer, trying to convince people who did not want to talk to him to buy things they did not need. On an average day his life was threatened by 2.5 people, he was insulted in 4.25 languages, and, based on his random sampling of the populace, found 60% of the city felt he was from questionable parentage.

    tab So, it was these little moments of piece he lived for. He thought to himself about his upcoming vacation time and how best to spend it. He figured a camping trip would be best. He remembered his parents taking him camping as a lad. He remembered the stony lakeside, rocks shifting underfoot, making slow, wet, muddy grinding noises as he walked under the bright sun in oppressive heat, looking for a good fishing spot. He remembered how branches and thorns would scrape and tear at his flesh, and how he would not complain, for it was not a man's position to complain. He remembered the feel of tearing the guts out of a freshly caught fish and the feel of his knife filleting flesh from the fish's bone, how it struggled in his grip.

    tab Yes, a camping trip would be a good idea. The children, after all, had been so well behaved as of late. They deserved a treat.

    tab Clyde finished his roast beef and mashed potatoes, dabbing the corners of his mouth gingerly with a napkin. He gathered up his silverware and made his way to the kitchen, turning of the television as he went.