When Paul learned he could deconstruct material buildings
by playing a self-help audio book backwards
he went to the corner Circle K and removed the building
from around the employees and customers.
He neatly stacked the bricks near a large propane tank
and made a pile of roofing material that refused to stack.
He did not know what to do with the plumbing and gas lines
let alone the gas pumps and their under ground storage containers.
It was the water fountaining up from decoupled pipes
that caused him to realize he had not thought this through.
A smoker inadvertently ignited a jet of natural gas
and flames shot into the sky without explosion.
Paul stopped the audio playback
about a quarter of the way through chapter eleven.
He merged himself into the gathering crowd
feeling both awkward and sinister.
Instead of retreating from the scene
he began to crumble like a cookie in a fist.
copyright © 2022 Kenneth P. Gurney
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