he would never be tested. He hoped the Later, Kiowa said, "I'm serious. Nothing Americans would go away. Soon, he hoped. He anybody could do. Come on, stop staring." kept hoping and hoping, always, even when he The trail junction was shaded by a row of was asleep. trees and tall brush. The slim young man lay "Oh, man, you fuckin' trashed the fucker," with his legs in the shade. His jaw was in his Azar said. "You scrambled his sorry self, look at throat. His one eye was shut and the other was that, you did, you laid him out like Shredded a star-shaped hole. fuckin' Wheat." Kiowa glanced at the body. "Go away," Kiowa said. "All right, let me ask a question," he said. "I'm just saying the truth. Like oatmeal." "You want to trade places with him? Turn it all upside down—you want that? I mean, be "Go," Kiowa said. honest." "Okay, then, I take it back," Azar said. He The star-shaped hole was red and yellow. started to move away, then stopped and said, The yellow part seemed to be getting wider, "Rice Krispies, you know? On the dead test, this spreading out at the center of the star. The particular individual gets A-plus." upper lip and gum and teeth were gone. The man's head was cocked at a wrong angle, as if Smiling at this, he shrugged and walked up loose at the neck, and the neck was wet with the trail toward the village behind the trees. blood. Kiowa kneeled down. "Think it over," Kiowa said. "Just forget that crud," he said. He opened Then later he said, "Tim, it's a war. The guy up his canteen and held it out for a while and wasn't Heidi—he had a weapon, right? It's a then sighed and pulled it away. "No sweat, tough thing, for sure, but you got to cut out that man. What else could you do?" staring."
he would never be tested. He hoped the Americans would go away. Soon, he hoped. He kept hoping and hoping, always, even when he was asleep. "Oh, man, you fuckin' trashed the fucker," Azar said. "You scrambled his sorry self, look at that, you did, you laid him out like Shredded fuckin' Wheat." "Go away," Kiowa said. "I'm just saying the truth. Like oatmeal." "Go," Kiowa said. "Okay, then, I take it back," Azar said. He started to move away, then stopped and said, "Rice Krispies, you know? On the dead test, this particular individual gets A-plus." Smiling at this, he shrugged and walked up the trail toward the village behind the trees. Kiowa kneeled down. "Just forget that crud," he said. He opened up his canteen and held it out for a while and then sighed and pulled it away. "No sweat, man. What else could you do?" Later, Kiowa said, "I'm serious. Nothing anybody could do. Come on, stop staring." The trail junction was shaded by a row of trees and tall brush. The slim young man lay with his legs in the shade. His jaw was in his throat. His one eye was shut and the other was a star-shaped hole. Kiowa glanced at the body. "All right, let me ask a question," he said. "You want to trade places with him? Turn it all upside down—you want that? I mean, be honest." The star-shaped hole was red and yellow. The yellow part seemed to be getting wider, spreading out at the center of the star. The upper lip and gum and teeth were gone. The man's head was cocked at a wrong angle, as if loose at the neck, and the neck was wet with blood. "Think it over," Kiowa said. Then later he said, "Tim, it's a war. The guy wasn't Heidi—he had a weapon, right? It's a tough thing, for sure, but you got to cut out that staring."
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