{"id":24146,"date":"2026-05-06T08:13:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T12:13:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/?p=24146"},"modified":"2026-05-06T08:14:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T12:14:24","slug":"all-around","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/flash-fiction\/all-around\/","title":{"rendered":"All Around This House of Midnight"},"content":{"rendered":"

Suggested accompaniment: \u201cWeightless\u201d by Brian Eno<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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r\/TuckerValleyWestVirginia<\/h5>\n
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u\/GuyWhoWalksBytheDam\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 posted: 8:03 AM, 9\/24\/25<\/h5>\n

To the Woman Who Stands On the Dam<\/p>\n

I saw you<\/em> again last night. September has been very dry. Do you only come out when it\u2019s dry? I don\u2019t like the humidity either.<\/p>\n

Anyhow, I appreciate what you do, even if I don\u2019t understand it.<\/p>\n

Dryly,<\/p>\n

Guy Who Walks By the Dam<\/em><\/p>\n

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u\/WomanWhoStandsOntheDam\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0posted: 10:18 PM, 9\/24\/25<\/h5>\n

To the Guy Who Walks by the Dam<\/p>\n

I saw you again last night. Sorry I didn\u2019t wave back. My arms don\u2019t bend like that.<\/p>\n

You are correct that I prefer the low humidity. If the air is too moist my matrix starts to destabilize. It happens when you get old.<\/p>\n

I have always sought a friend who does not understand me in the slightest. Your honesty means a great deal to me. Well, maybe not a great deal. But it\u2019s a nice touch.<\/p>\n

Avidly,<\/p>\n

Woman Who Stands on the Dam<\/em><\/p>\n

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u\/GuyWhoWalksBytheDam\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0posted: 3:46 PM, 9\/25\/25<\/h5>\n

Dear Woman Who Stands on the Dam<\/p>\n

Just the same, I\u2019ve always wanted a friend whose arms don\u2019t bend in the regular way of people. I wouldn\u2019t say it means the world to me, but it\u2019s of interest.<\/p>\n

The way you describe your form makes it sound like you\u2019re an image generated by a computer. But any time I\u2019ve seen you, I\u2019d swear you were made of cotton and smoke.<\/p>\n

Where do you go when you\u2019re not standing on the dam? I live in an apartment and I can see the dam from my bedroom window. I mostly like to watch TV, play with the cat. That\u2019s about it.<\/p>\n

Get bent (xoxo),<\/p>\n

KC<\/em><\/p>\n

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u\/WomanWhoStandsOntheDam\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0posted: 12:13 AM, 9\/26\/25<\/h5>\n

I\u2019ll Ask the Questions Here, KC<\/p>\n

What\u2019s KC stand for? Are you from Kansas City? Are you in the mob? I\u2019m joking.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not generated by a computer, but I think I\u2019m typing this on a computer. Fairly certain. Is there cotton inside a computer? This time I\u2019m serious.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll ask again\u2014<\/span>is there cotton inside a computer?<\/p>\n

Sorry for the confusion,<\/p>\n

WWSOD<\/em><\/p>\n

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u\/GuyWhoWalksBytheDam\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0posted: 6:01 AM, 9\/26\/25<\/h5>\n

God-Dam, Woman<\/p>\n

There is no cotton inside a computer that I\u2019m aware of. It\u2019s all metal and plastic, like at the grocery store. The shopping cart is made of metal and everything you put in the cart is packed in plastic. A computer is a lot like a grocery store, honestly. It has everything you need if you know how to use it.<\/p>\n

Hope this helps,<\/p>\n

Kevin<\/em><\/p>\n

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u\/WomanWhoStandsOntheDam\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 posted: 11:16 PM, 9\/26\/25<\/h5>\n

To Kevin of Glendalough, Patron Saint of Blackbirds<\/p>\n

I have heard the story of the young woman so insistent on sleeping with you that you had to shove nettles in her face. You must\u2019ve been very pleased with yourself.<\/p>\n

Do you prefer your blackbird jam homemade or store-bought?<\/p>\n

Turning the page,<\/p>\n

WWSOD<\/em><\/p>\n

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u\/GuyWhoWalksBytheDam\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 posted: 9:32 AM, 9\/27\/25<\/h5>\n

To the Smartass Who Stands on the Dam<\/p>\n

Yes, I am familiar with the Irish holy man, who haunts me like a double. The only difference between us is that he’s a baldheaded hermit from 1400 years ago and I\u2019m a baldheaded hermit from right now.<\/p>\n

In this house, we recognize cardinal jam as the Lord\u2019s jam.<\/p>\n

Seeing double,<\/p>\n

Kevin Scott C.<\/em><\/p>\n

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u\/WomanWhoStandsOntheDam\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 posted: 8:20 PM, 9\/27\/25<\/h5>\n

Two Of You is Way Too Many<\/p>\n

Kev\u2014<\/span>can I call you Kev? I\u2019m going to call you Kev.<\/p>\n

Are you familiar with the old saying that goes, we can\u2019t choose our hermits, only how far we build our houses from them<\/em>?<\/p>\n

I\u2019d say more about your pitiful condition but I have much to do tonight and I must conserve my smoke.<\/p>\n

Breaking ground,<\/p>\n

WWSOD<\/em><\/p>\n

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u\/GuyWhoWalksBytheDam\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 posted: 11:56 PM, 9\/27\/25<\/h5>\n

I Would Argue That Even One is Too Many<\/p>\n

WWSOD\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n

Have you ever noticed when someone wants to sound smart, they\u2019ll start their sentence with it\u2019s worth noting…<\/em>? Well, it\u2019s worth noting that my door is always open, by which I mean it is never closed, leaving me vulnerable to all manner of incursion.<\/p>\n

If I could have the last 4 days of my life back, I\u2019d give them to you. I\u2019d make them your problem.<\/p>\n

All around this house of midnight,<\/p>\n

K<\/em><\/p>\n

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u\/TheLivingWoman\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0posted: 2:43 AM, 9\/28\/25<\/h5>\n

To the Man Who Stands on the Dam<\/p>\n

Nice place you have here\u2014<\/span>mind if I close the curtains? Don\u2019t take this the wrong way, but seeing you out there is like being stabbed by Loneliness.<\/p>\n

As it so happens, I am the Valley\u2019s foremost collector of unwanted days. Buy them cheap, slap on a new coat of paint, sell them with wine and roses. Or something like that.<\/p>\n

Anyhow, I appreciate what you do, even if it\u2019s been done before.<\/p>\n

Your friend,<\/p>\n

Katrina<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Have you ever noticed when someone wants to sound smart, they\u2019ll say it\u2019s worth noting…? Well, it\u2019s worth noting that my door’s always open, by which I mean it’s never closed, leaving me vulnerable to all manner of incursion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":182,"featured_media":25116,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3530],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-flash-fiction","writer-kevin-chesser"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/182"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24146"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24146\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25115,"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24146\/revisions\/25115"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}