Shattered Heads

Martha was there nervously waiting for him to say something. He had such a short temper lately. “That’s not the way we sit at the table,” he said sternly as he reached across with his left hand and grabbed Martha by the hair of her head. He pulled her up straight. “Stop rolling around!” Magnum shouted. Her gray hair was matted to her face and cheeks now. It’s almost as if she was sweating. She was always wet.

“Well, let’s get this started. Who wants to say grace?” Mr. Tisdale asked with his head on the table. He had a big smile across his face. Magnum picked him up.

“We are not saying grace you guys,” Magnum said.

“Magnum, look at how much we have to be thankful for!” Mr. Tisdale said as his head rolled onto the table once more. Magnum reached across with his right hand and pulled him up straight again. He placed him sternly on his plate. This time he propped him up with a fork to the forehead. The puncture wound to Mr. Tisdale’s head releasing several green gasses in the process.

“Holy shit!” Magnum shouted grabbing his nose and heading for a window.

“Thanks, Mag. I get so tired of looking at certain things in this house every day,” Mr. Tisdale said, oblivious to the odor his head had released.

“Why are the windows closed! How do you manage? Goddamn you make me sick!” Magnum shouted as he fumbled with the fucking window.

“Oh, just leave it dear. We know you are busy with your own life these days,” Martha said not turning her head around. She couldn’t.

“Well, honestly, it’s because of all the flies we let in,” Mr. Tisdale said. “We had David close the windows.”

“Look, let’s make this quick so I can get you in bed. My clothes will never come clean as it is,” Magnum said roughly behind a kerchief.

“So, first, grace,” Mr. Tisdale said. “Dear Lord, we call upon you not for favoritism, not for wealth, not for any reason other but to give thanks. We, unlike anyone else, are so blessed and we owe it all to you. For you are the bloody lamb of God Himself. We look at the butterfly and how softly and sweetly . . .”

“Enough! How fucking long do you think I can stay here!” Magnum shouted.

“Please, don’t,” Martha said as she was trying to huff and puff back a piece of hair that was stuck to her face, “you know how much he loves grace.”

“Oh, Magnum, do be a lad,” Mr. Tisdale said as he looked with his eyes in Martha’s direction. “Unbelievable,” Magnum said as he reached across the table to pull the hair back from Martha’s face. It was stuck to her bottom lip and when he pulled the hair back her lip came off and fell in her plate with a clatter.

“Magnum don’t be discouraged. We are thankful for every moment,” Mr. Tisdale concluded.

“Madum! Madum!” Martha tried talking but sounded a little different without her bottom lip. She almost looked angry as her white teeth gnarled out.

“Can you put it back?” Mr. Tisdale asked.

“Are you joking? You are two heads sitting on dinner plates! There is nothing left to put back!” Magnum shouted again.

“Madum! Madum! My ill! Weeese, my lil ill,” Martha said as she began to cry because she saw how hard it was going to be to talk without her bottom lip.

“We are skipping dinner; I think it’s time for bed!” Magnum said as he stood at the end of the table. He grabbed both heads by their hair. As he hastily swung around Martha’s hair came out by the handful and her head rolled across the dirty floor. There were bits of chips, dog food, and a button all smashed deeply into her face. She cried even harder but the only thing the tears washed out was her left eye. It dangled now by its long, dried out, optic nerve which was likewise covered in debris and stale cereal.

“Fuck! I can’t do this anymore! This is my last dinner with you! You will have to ask David for more help,” Magnum shouted as he held Martha’s scalp and danced around the room, chasing after the precious head and trying not to step on it. Martha just wailed away beneath her screams and mumbles.

Magnum was still holding up Mr. Tisdale’s head with his left hand. Finally, Magnum caught the once rolling head that belonged to Martha and picked it up. But then, as Magnum took a step forward, he stepped on the eye.

When he picked up Martha’s head, her eye and eye nerve were jerked out completely from the skull. Magnum, easily repulsed, dropped Martha’s head to the floor again, caving it in on one side. She quit screaming and crying and became very silent. This worried Magnum and Mr. Tisdale very much.

“Is she dead?” Mr. Tisdale asked still in mid-air.

“She’s been dead for months!” Magnum stated holding Mr. Tisdale’s head up about six feet in the air so they could look at each other.

“Mmm! M MM! Mm mm,” Martha’s head mumbled while face down on the floor. Magnum kicked it over gently with his foot.

“Oh fuck!” Magnum shouted as he dropped Mr. Tisdale from the sky and began throwing up once again.

“What is it? What is it?” Mr. Tisdale asked repeatedly rolling around on the floor hoping to catch a glimpse.

“Her tongue! She bit off her tongue!” Magnum shouted between fits of puke and rage.

“Just get us in the bed!” Mr. Tisdale finally shouted.

• A Few Minutes Later

A little later than expected Martha and Mr. Tisdale, complete with optic nerves and tongue pieces, were placed in the bed next to each other. They were placed on pillows that were heavily soiled and stained from all the previous oozes.

“MM mm, mmm,” Martha said.

“She said one day you will know what it’s all about, Magnum. As a man, especially, you work hard and toil your whole life away just to be surrounded by the one’s you love most on that final day. That way, even with your eyes closed, it’s still all you see before you go. And that’s no matter the condition,” Mr. Tisdale said.

“Are you comfortable?” Magnum asked.

“Yes, we have each other, son,” Mr. Tisdale said with a smile.

“Mmm! m mm!” Martha said.

“Love you too, mom,” Magnum said, and then he kissed her gently on her mushy forehead and turned out the light.