The Hek-Atomic Cherries


Hekatomb

an epic poem by Charles Barousse and Wes Raine

Once upon a time,
There was a cherry tree in a desert.
Rare indeed was its existence,
For no vegetation or animal life could be found for miles around.
For this reason, this specific desert was chosen as an atomic testing site.
Waves of mutation were dispersed throughout the desert.
These waves were absorbed by the sand, but had no effect.
However, those absorbed by the tree took action readily.
The cherries shattered the barrier of their normal size.
As these colossal fruits gained in physical size,
They also gained a sense of consciousness.
As a new day dawned,
These creatures had developed 100 appendages and the ability of sight.
Since they had gained the mind of a living creature,
They had also developed a basic sense of instinct of an animal:
The desperate struggle for power.
The cherries began to stake their claims,
Some of which were on the outskirts of the desert,
Which included a sparsely populated village.
The cherries terrorized the villagers and demanded herds of mongeese and crates of prunes.
Unfortunately, the villagers could not understand the demands,
So they were confined to their homes until the wishes of the cherries could be appeased.
The villagers drew lots to send three people to attempt negotiations with the cherries.
The "winners" were a doctor, a syphilitic monkey, and the town milkman.
Unknowingly, these three had a gift that allowed them to be able to confer with the inferior beings.
These three relayed the communications of the cherries to the villagers,
Who quickly handed over the requested foodstuff to the cherries.
And no longer were the cherries a misunderstood race,
For their thoughts were expressed through the three messengers and their writings of:
The Hek-Atomic Cherries.