chekov shrugged

by Patrick Johnston

On the 17th August 2023 there were a series of seemingly unconnected events in the small Midwestern town of Beaverton.

Daisy Bennet dropped her house keys in the 7-11. In a panic she accidentally kicked them under the shelving. They would play no further part in this story.

At that exact moment at the other side of town Harvey McFarlane slipped a quarter into the jukebox at Randy’s Place. He was there celebrating his first paycheck from his new position on the killing floor at the local slaughterhouse.

Seth Armstrong was walking his dog, also called Seth, when the dog slipped his leash in pursuit of a possum. Back at home Mother was putting on the kettle to prepare their evening beverage of cranberry tea, completely unaware that both Seth’s would be mildly delayed.

At the billboard at the west edge of town Dwayne Harper sat bored in his patrol car fantasising that this might be the night for the big car chase of his dreams. He imagined himself careening towards the county line sirens blazing as some of his compadres blocked the road ahead. His hopes were not high.

Marylou Beale tapped the barometer on the stoop. The dial flickered momentarily, but did not move significantly. It is unknown whether Marylou registered this as information.

In the next town over, Chesterton, that night a major conflagration at the biscuit factory claimed the lives of seven souls. However, that is not a part of this story.

There were happenings and anomalies and everyday drudgery that happened all over town. But nothing resolved into a coherent narrative. Sometimes things are just as they seemingly seem to be.

And somewhere in the distance a dog barked.

Photo of Patrick Johnston

BIO: Patrick Johnston is an Anglo-Australian writer and former professor of psychology and neuroscience. His work appears in The Louisville Review, Eastern Iowa Review, Thin Air Magazine, and Litro Magazine USA, among others, and has received a Pushcart Prize nomination. He is the author of the novel The Gaps Between the Stories. dr-patrick-johnston.com