Flashing My Shorts - Salvatore Buttaci, Author

When I picked up Flashing My Shorts I had no idea of what to expect. What I found was the creations of a man who can take any word, object or feeling and turn it into a short story.
Reading Buttaci’s writings was almost like reading poetry.

In Two Worlds, Will Dennison lives two lives, one in the real world and one in the nightmare world. In Invitation President Clayton Powell is invited to
be transplanted to Mars. Doomsday. We’ve been warned, now the world is
dying around us. I Wish I Wish – be careful what you wish for. And
then there is my favorite:

Saturday at the Zoo

Only a tall iron fence separated the two families. “That girl is wearing a red dress, just like mine!” said Missy, then made a move to get closer
to the fence. “Behave,” said Mrs. Jackson. “Keep your distance from
the cage or we’ll go home this minute.” She took her daughter’s hand
and held it tightly. “Go ahead and read the sign, Missy. What does it
say?” Mr. Jackson looked at her sternly. Missy had no trouble reading
the official zoo plaque with its overdone list of synonyms, Do not
annoy, badger, bother, disturb, harass, harry, heckle, irk, provoke,
peeve, pester, tease, tantalize, or feed zoo creatures. Strict penalty
for violators.” The caged little girl with Missy’s dress stared back at
them. She too had a mother and father who held her hands and seemed to
be warning her to stay clear of the fence. “Oh, the smell!” said Mrs.
Jackson, pulling Missy back. “Why can’t the zoo attendants give them a
shower now and then. They’re filthy, Quentin. I think we’ve seen
enough,” though Quentin nodded his head, he seemed in no hurry to leave
yet. He watched his daughter staring bit-eyed at the other family.
“Aren’t they amazing?” he asked her.

Missy heard him, but was busy now playing a game with the other girl. Missy would put her hand on her head and the other girl would do the same. Then
Missy would stick her tongue out and wait for the caged girl to follow
suit. “They are so smart!” said Missy. Her mother scowled, but her
father smiled. Other zoo visitors were gathered in front of the lion’s
den, the elephant swamp, the monkey’s tree, the cawing, chirping,
whistling birds behind the very tall aviary fence. Only the Jackson
watched the caged family in front of them. Quentin Jackson
didn’t allow the smell inside the cage to upset him. He inhaled the
air and knew it was good to be on this side of the fence. Free.

“They look like us, don’t they, Mommy?” said Missy. “That little girl with the blond hair has a mommy and daddy like me. They need new clothes but
they look a lot like us. I wish my hair was blond instead of this old
black!” Then Quentin Jackson
began explaining about the family in the cage in that deep voice of his
which he usually saved for his students at the university. “A long
time ago, believe it or not, we were the families in the cage. Oh,
maybe not a cage in the zoo but in a cage nonetheless. The little blond
and her parents belonged to the free families who kept the zoos, the
churches, the governments. Civil war came many years ago; even before
my own Granddaddy was born. Civil war raged between the True-pers,
holding up their red-white-blue, and the Usur-pers demanding their
rights by virtue of fairness and the injustice of slavery. “Who won,
Daddy?”

Now is when I tell you you’ll have to read the book to see who won, who are the True-pers and who are the Usur-pers. The ending took me completely by
surprise. I never saw it coming.

158 pages

2010

All Things That Matter Press