Collection of Stories

Joe

"Hey Joe?"

"Yeah?"

"When you did your exams, were you really stressed out?"

He looks at me and smiles. "I never did any proper exams. Our school was too small. Most were then."

"Huh."

I take another stick and throw it on the fire. The flames curl around it, darkening the wood, before turning pure white.

"Hey Joe?"

"Yeah?"

"What was your favourite food when you were a kid?"

"Apple pie."

"With or without ice cream?"

"I couldn't have ice cream, remember?"

"Oh yeah. Huh." 

I pick up another stick but instead of throwing it in the fire, I dump it in the fire bucket, washing the dirt off and skewer a marshmallow with it. I position the cylinder of delight over the heat and watch as it turns from white, to golden brown tinged with black. 

"Hey Joe?"

"Yeah?"

"Did it hurt when you died?"

There's no reply. I look up. Joe's grave stares me square in the face. I imagined it all.