{"id":1514,"date":"2018-02-14T12:30:10","date_gmt":"2018-02-14T12:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zatma.org\/new-wp\/?p=1514"},"modified":"2018-02-14T12:30:10","modified_gmt":"2018-02-14T12:30:10","slug":"killing-by-visiting-writer-sophia-meyer-greene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zatma.org\/?p=1514","title":{"rendered":"Killing by visiting writer Sophia Meyer-Greene"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Imaginative. Evocative. Lingering.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Has Sophia Meyer-Greene tapped into our universal trait in her new flash fiction….<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Killing<\/strong><\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt has to be done,\u201d she writes. \u201cIt has to.\u201d She asserts.<\/h2>\n

<\/h2>\n

______________________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

<\/h1>\n
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Killing<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/blockquote>\n

By Sophia Meyer-Greene<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I guarantee you.\u00a0 You won\u2019t see another of those little devils for at least five years.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

When you call, Arthur Joseph Candicanosi, you call the top guy in town.<\/p>\n

I use the strongest chemicals. I get the job done fast. One, Two, Three.<\/p>\n

Bing, Bing, Bang.<\/p>\n

Beautiful home. \u00a0Don\u2019t give it another thought about right or wrong. C\u2019mon what are we talking about here? It has to be done. \u00a0It has to.<\/p>\n

My old man worked for a slaughterhouse. He slit throats . . . proficiently. \u00a0Zip. Zip. It had to be done.<\/p>\n

After a few years, his employers told him: when a machine does it . . . it\u2019s almost painless and faster. <\/em>My dad said the owners decided which choice \u2013- man or machine \u2013 based on which was cost-effective.<\/p>\n

Cost-effectiveness became top priority . . . an absolute necessity, if a business was to survive. Automation. Robotics. \u00a0Everything evolves.<\/p>\n

No, he didn\u2019t lose his job. He became Director of Operations. When it didn\u2019t go right, he had to Zip. Zip. Again. Machine errors occurred often. Specific procedures had to be followed. He was under the gun.<\/p>\n

Yeah, my old man told me he was only allowed to work a limited number of hours a week.\u00a0 (I think he said 17.)\u00a0 Yes, 17 hours. The owners said: killing can have deleterious effects when you kill in excess of 17 hours.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em>His bosses said: Killing too much can make the slaughterer mean.<\/strong> Even watching killing for extended periods can be extremely harmful.<\/em><\/p>\n

Harmful?<\/em> Wait until you hear this: The establishment\u2019s view: \u00a0Killing can be a sensual experience.<\/em> They pointed out, studies show, people can enjoy it<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Enjoy killing? Studies show? What a crock!<\/p>\n

I kill eight to ten hours a day, five days a week. \u00a0I\u2019m married, have two sons. On the weekends I coach football. Looking in the mirror, I see an ok guy looking back. Killing has to be done. It has to.\u201d<\/p>\n