Garbage Kids

Short Fiction by Dion Enis Nikci

You can purchase Written Tales Magazine in print or digital, or become a paid subscriber and download your favorite editions. To view our upcoming stories & poems, please visit our publishing schedule calendar.

---

The boy waited in the darkness until he was certain that they were gone, until he couldn’t hear their muffled giggles. Then, he straightened his arms to reach the surface, imagining himself swimming, imagining the hard and soft things he pushed aside to be the resistance of clean water. Some of these things, though, were wet and stuck to his slim fingers, he didn’t know what they were, but the smell prickled in his nostrils. He remembered that this wasn’t water but that these were garbage bags, and he was just getting used to the stench. 

He pushed the lid open and peeked halfway out of the garbage bin. The fresh air cooled him, it started to get hot in there. He turned to the street to see the empty alleyway, but met the eyes of a girl instead. She was about his age, her hair was wild, pretty but in need of a wash. She wore a trench coat that was too big for her, making her appear smaller than she already was. 

They stared at each other for a while. He decided to push himself out, landing so hard on the ground that his feet began to tingle like ants crawled inside them. His mouth twitched, showing her his unintended pain. She pinched him.