“Why, oh, why Negro niece, do you sit there on the steps and cry?”
“Oh, woe is upon me and ruthlessly rides me because my father, your brother, my mother’s husband, has died. And our weeping is without end.”
“Ah, but your father was 80 and 10. It was about time for the old Negro’s story to end.”
“True, true, but he will be gone, his voice and presence will be missed, his words will be longed for, and his absence will leave a great emptiness.”
“Niece, I will tell you something I told a White man a long time ago. It cost me a beaten’ and a little State Hospital time, but on average, there are more bright hospital patients than there are university professors.”
Uncle, what did you say to cause The Man to beat you and put you away? Will your answer alter my weeping ways?
“Let me sit here with you for a spell, and we will see what we see.”
“Please, sit and speak, and mind, not my tears.”
“When I was 18 years old, a cop stopped me on the street and asked me. ‘Nigger, are you Raymond James?’”
And I replied, “Sometimes, sometimes I’m known as Raymond James.”
“Nigger, either you is or you ain’t. You already a burr under my saddle, boy. Is you or ain’t you Raymond James?”
“I be called that name a lot around these parts.”
“Nigger, I’m going to take out my revolver, and if you don’t answer me straight up, I will put a bullet in you. Are you Raymond James?”
“Well, you got your revolver out, and if you have to use it, I hope you shoot to kill. I’m kind of tired of that name anyway.”
“You tired of being called Raymond James?”
“No, I’m tired of being called nigger.”
“Oh, you one of them smart ass niggers. I’m gonna put your Black ass in the ground right now.”
“Hallelujah! You do know that I’m immortal and invincible, right?”
“In what? Nigger you a dead man walkin’ so you can quit all that damn talkin’.”
“Look, Mister Officer, we all made of atoms. You and me, the rocks, the trees, and the birds and the bees. Now, you can shoot me, burn me up, drown me, or ground me up and feed me to your hogs. But you can’t destroy my atoms they are immortal.”
“Shut up, Nigger, or I will shoot you dead right here and now!”
“And there ain’t no White or Black atoms. So, if you do kill me, my atoms may end up in your breakfast sausage, the air you breathe, or the children you breed, or your next wife.”
“Fuck you, nigger! Shut the hell up.”
“So that cop beat me pretty bad, and they took me up to the state hospital for the crazy. I had to stay there for about three months. I got a lot of education up there.”
“Oh, my. Oh, my. I’m glad I didn’t live in those days. Did you forgive him—the police officer or file a complaint against him?”
“Neither, but he wasn’t much on my mind. Do you believe me—about the atoms?”
“Uncle, yes. I do, I guess. I just never thought of it like that. But the more I think about it, the more I like the idea.”
“Yeah, I mean, your dad is in the world somewhere as part of something. He will always be around.”
“Dad is eternal. We all are. That is miraculous.”
“Good. I like this idea because I don’t have to speculate about God or heaven or any of that. The so-called best minds say we can’t destroy matter, right? So, this got to be good.”
“That’s what they taught me in school. But I never thought it would be a comfort like this.”
“I told your dad he might be recycled into a fart or a cow turd.”
“Uncle, you make me laugh. Let’s go share this with Mom. You know this atoms idea is similar to, “From dust we came and too dust we shall return.”
“Amen!”
“Uncle, could science and religion both be on the right track but from different directions?”
“Niece, you know the best minds in science and religion could be wrong.”
“I know, but it’s a wonderful way to see the world.”
“That it is, niece. That it is.”
Image: A dark blue sky covered with star dust from Pixabay.com
literally stories 
Fred
Congratulations on your first appearances of 2025. Always authentic and lively.
Leila
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Thank you, Frederick.
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Hi Fred,
You took some narrow-minded and horrible bigotry (Is there any other type??) and made it into something philosophical!!
Brilliant as usual my fine friend.
Hugh
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It’s been too long snce we had something from Fred, I reckon and this is a wonderful example of his strong and forthright voice and I really enjoyed the style of it. Thanks – dd
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Atoms are immortal. That’s indeed a comforting thought. Good start to the week.
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Quite an achievement, I reckon, to write a lucid piece entirely in dialogue without the need to pepper it with lots of she-saids/he-saids. Thank you.
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Great story! I feel I might have that officer; more than once. I like the reincarnation/no-self idea. Has a Buddhist feel to it.
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Frederick
Thanks for this excellent tale! It reads like a one-act play and has the drama of a play, but it’s still a short story, and that’s an energizing combination. It was also artistically exciting how this piece deals with ideas, and indeed, the ultimate in ideas, and human thinking. What could be or is more important than what does or doesn’t happen after we die? I really enjoyed how this piece takes modern science notions and combines them with ancient religious theories, not to mention how it also calls into question both science and religion at the same time, which was brilliantly done here, both accessible to a wider audience and a condensation of huge ideas down into a manageable, small space, as well as something that really does reach out into the universe (with our imaginations, which is far deeper and more lasting than playing games with rocket ships) while remaining as close as our heartbeats and breath. Finally, the overall positive tone of this piece despite the depiction of cruel, brutal, stupid, one-sided, nasty, horrible, disgusting, revolting injustice, and the kind and sweet relationship between the two main characters, were all really well-done. The combination of philosophy and human relations in this piece is truly winning. Thank you.
Dale
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Fred
Great dialogue between the uncle and niece — like a song! And without unnecessary descriptions of either the weather or the people speaking. It’s the song they sing that matters. – Gerry
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Another great story. Great vision of strength and optimism in the face of horrible aggression.
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Mr. Foote – Not comforted about being disassembled Doug Hawley floating in space in the not too distant future (is that a line from a compilations of bad science fiction movies), but I’m happy for anyone it works for.
I’d prefer not being sent to the hospital in order to show up “the man”.
None of this is meant to impugn your story.
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This was thought provoking, and a good story! It had emotions pulling at you and humor too. A stark realism dealing with racism. I felt some eastern philosophy/religion at work, like reincarnation. The old guy had a comforting perspective. It seemed almost poetic.
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I loved it Fred welcome to 2025. I look forward to more short stories
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Enjoyed this immensely. Very altruistic and enlightening. Thank you, Fred
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Wistful, but deep and meaningful. I found this piece very lyrical – in fact the first half almost reads like a song.
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