The Stranger
Tuesday was quiet. Wednesday the same. I forget about Thursday. But Friday was loud - once again. Johnny started crying about his position in “the gang’s” tree fort seven years ago; he still hasn’t stopped. He’s persistent, you gotta give the little fuck that much. Louie doesn’t give a shit ‘bout no one, that’s why seven years ago he was assigned the watchtower position – where he brought his wooden gun to protect “the gang.” Owen and Jason switched places, like four years ago, I think. Owen saved Johnny from drowning during that big flood we had, yeah like four years ago. Afterwards Johnny ran back to the fort, obviously, and started rambling about the miracle; Johnny’s mom, and soon his whole family started calling him Jesus, or the new prophet or some shit like that. Religious fucks, I tell you. Nobody ever heard Owen talk about it - nobody ever heard Owen talk much about anything for that matter. And Jason is just the funny little bitch who would never take a chance with nobody or nothing.
So that was the order of the tree fort. Johnny as the guard. Jason probably as the entertainer or something. Then Owen and Louie as the king and watchmen. Louie would always plead that the king would be worthless if he were dead, Owen would smile and say “that’s true” in his charismatic voice. The same voice every time. Four years of charisma in the throne.
But when I came to town everything changed. I moved right next door to Johnny. The first time he brought me to the tree fort Louie went nuts; converted Jason to his side immediately and tried for Owen next. Owen sat in his throne for sometime without saying a word, just interpreting Louie’s shouts of anger.
“We’re going to listen to Johnny!?”
“When the hell do we listen to Johnny!?”
“OWEN!”
“Tell me you aren’t really considering this!”
Louie was one of those jerks that you knew was just so cool that it didn’t really matter what he said, you still liked him. That’s why when the king lent his hand to a stranger inside the fort’s walls; the stranger still looked up to the watchmen, as he looked up to everyone, except Johnny, whom he appeared level with. The king suffered torment for some time after his humanitarian dictation but there was never an attack on his life. And soon enough the watchmen was back, protecting the entire “gang” with his wooden gun.
