From: Covenant@yabbs To: all@yabbs Subject: part three of pity Date: Sat Jul 2 03:51:02 1994 My Mom cried and brushed some mud from his forehead and said her goodbyes. I stood there, strong, like a man should be, though I was about to lose a friend. It took two tries. I heard my Mom cry out once she knew that the first shot hadn't done the job. Dave had the second shot ready in an instant, thank god. It was over. The friend I'd grown up with was gone. I watched. I like to think now that it was a last gesture. I said goodbye to a friend. But I was an adolescent, and I know now that is was morbid curiosity that made me watch. We'd butchered chickens and sent steers to the slaughter, but this was different. Much different.