The Cost of the Lie
by avarix
· 02/03/2026
Published 02/03/2026 10:21
I saw the neighbor’s kid lose it today
over a plastic wheel snapped off a truck.
His father spun a yarn about toy hospitals,
a soft-edged lie to keep the peace.
I went home and dug through the shoebox
where the past is filed under Miscellaneous.
The receipt was there—Rite Aid, Dec 23rd.
The red ink of the clearance sticker
was a jagged serrated edge
cutting the throat of the magic.