The madman is plucking wild chords out of the banjo while he, the scientist, pushes the button. Strange company to watch the launch with. A white line splits the sky. The missile careens into the dry earth. One moment the false town is there, the other it is something else. Wobbling like a mirage, its atoms spaced apart like a slinky stretched out. Antimatter rushes into the empty gaps. The whole thing is suspended in a wavering bubble. The madman is yodelling and cranking out the melody. The scientist toasts their hard word.
Paddy Dobson
5th February 2021