THIS MAN REFUSED TO OPEN HIS EYES
-Paul read this on an old mugshot in the library. He had taken the bus into town to check out a few books on woodworking and got distracted by the True Crime section. He found this mugshot in a book titled Crooks like Us that was published in Sydney. He liked how cities were named after women, or how women were named after cities, whichever was true.
-The man in the picture’s eyes were tightly shut, as though he’d just come into the brightness of day after being dark inside for a long time. His head was tilted up and slightly to the right. He was wearing a short light tie with hash marks, and a pinstripe suit. Paul wished the photograph was in color. He was standing in front of a plain brown wall covered in fabric.
-The man’s eyes were not so tightly shut as Paul first thought. His eyebrows lifted away from the eyes, giving the man a bemused look. His mouth was slightly opened in what seemed to Paul like a grin. This was accentuated by the man’s ears, which were large. Paul wasn’t sure why the ears made the man look happier. He wondered what crime he had committed.
-Above the man’s head was written T. BEDE.22.11.28 / 203 A. THIS MAN REFUSED TO OPEN HIS EYES was written over his suit, directly below his ribcage.
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