I don't know what happened. I don't know why. But I see it. I see it again and again. The sounds are calling me. No. They tell me to run. Sounds are everywhere and I do not know.

So confused, but it's okay. That's what I am told. I am naughty because I don't listen, and it's not okay. I see it's not okay. Nothing is okay. That's what I am told.

Your mileage will vary on this story. That statement is true on just about every story, but this one in particular does some things to set itself apart from the crowd.

To start, it's pretty short, clocking in at just 1200 words. However, the story only takes up two-thirds of that. The final third consists of something like a poem that summarizes the events and searches for some kind of moral to be found in the chaos. Poetry is not my forte, but I will say that I found it poignant.

Second, there are very few specifics to be found. The setting is not given, not a single character is even named, and very little screams pony. In spite of this I consider the writing to be the strongest part of the story. It's told from the perspective of a child, and the phrasing the author uses is appropriately vague and confused. There's a lingering fear behind the childish rationalizing that gives way to cold realization.

Finally, there's the subject. The story was written well over a year ago, but it's rather topical given events over the previous months in the country (presuming most of the people on this site live in the United States). Another reason the writing is the strongest part: the author avoids politics or having any kind of agenda that gets in the way. There's only the shock of the moment. The story handles the subject with the tact and respect it deserves, far more than I'm used to seeing.

I had trouble deciding on what rating to give this one. There wasn't much story here in terms of plot or characterization, but the writing took less than a thousand words to engage me and make me sympathize with the main character--much more than some feature length movies have made me. That's not insignificant. Check this story out and see what you think.

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Thanks for the review! I'm very grateful, this short story is a personal favorite of mine. It wasn't exactly fun to write, but it was, and still is, important.