Toll Road: A Short Story of Murka Page 4

couldn’t let him,” Kish said.

  “Thankee,” said Bayle. “Guess I owe you one of those.”

  Kish looked at the guitar.

  The gun fired fine. Bayle put all three bullets into the crazy man’s face. He tossed the gun into the river, returned the tube with Danny’s ashes to the knapsack, and settled it on his back.

  “Quarter mile left,” he said. “Let’s go.”

  The Art Museum was high on the far riverbank when the walls came into view. Cobbled together from stone and concrete reclaimed from the city, the walls of Philadelphia appeared far older than they really were. The gates, accessed by freeway overpass, had been lovingly installed by the Knights of the Coming Dawn. Cast in bronze, they depicted the Founding Fathers in bas relief. Bayle saw those gates and his heart seemed to swell, the old pride filling him. Beyond those gates, Old Philadelphia stood as it had since the nation was born. Horses drew wagons of groceries, and pedestrians went about their day on cobblestone streets.

  First, Bayle thought, he would see about a new guitar for Kish. Then he would find a place to spread Danny’s ashes. Then, perhaps, he would stay for a while.

  ###

  About the Author

  Christopher Keelty is a writer, non-profit fundraiser, and goalie. He enjoys cooking, the outdoors, and micro-brewed beer. He lives in Philadelphia with his two cats (which is in no way depressing) and blogs at ChristopherKeelty.com

  Connect with Chris on Twitter: @keeltyc

  Copyright Information

  This story originally appeared in Collective Fallout magazine, Vol. 3 No. 3, July 2011.

  www.collectivefallout.com

  Christopher Keelty asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

  This story is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters, and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced to any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Christopher Keelty.