A STORY by NICK OLSON
The Big Walk
Wen the big walk come I bin putnout fyres, gathrin food gathrin water gathrin strenth for all that walknan I come upto ware we sposedta gather on allat hiway, & I seen ware the traders bin comnin lass coupla days, 4 buyinansellin, & we come 2 ware the walksgon start, me & I , or me & eye, doeno much mornat since I never bin on the big walk myselfan I only heardem storeys and seenem vishuns wena vishun man cominta townabou 3 or maybe 4 suntrips ago, canremember, & I aintry to wrytin juss as long, maybe morr, doeno if iss comnout ryte cuz we haven seen scrybes in menny menny suntrips, since I was neehyte, & theyall tell me doen worry, evry1 has2 come2 the big walk in thayrown way, & I sposeats ryte, atlees I hope Ilav vishuns allmyown wen Imout thayr, in allat MT, seeinem stars lyke farflys gathrin tymeanspace & waitin4 tyme wen we can all be kids agen, wen it goback2 start ofa sirkull, & I herd nuff storeys ofa tyme b4 2kno weain muchmoern wut we gotinsyde, ain muchmoren werds2 speek an eyes2 C & I kno at wen I C allat darkn wait in the MT at its gunna be sumthin 4 me, & Ilav my tyme 2 sho wut I kno 2 the Big 1, thata Big 1 is waytn4me 2 taykat 1st step, bcuz ares ownlee somuchat U cando 4 sum1 elss b4 they gotta taykat big walk themselvvs, so I thinkim wrytiniss down so sum1 farway & in2 fewchurr can C that we still walknan talknan all the tyme we gathrin & putndown iss gonna come2 sumthin venshully, cuz I bin heer longnuff 2 kno at my tyme is so short, so smol, & I juss wanna mayka connexion b4 I go ona big walk, even if connexion gonna be wi sum1 Iain nevr gonna meet mysel, & I hope U hav betr tymes warevr U R, & I hope ur hellthee, & I wan U 2 kno at sum1s thinknuv U, evenall bak here, waitnout inna col ofa nyte, juss b4 thayr firss big walk.
Nick Olson (he/they) is the author of the novels “Here’s Waldo” and “The Brother We Share” and is the Editor-in-Chief of (mac)ro(mic). In and from Chicagoland, he’s been published in SmokeLong Quarterly, Hobart, Fiction Southeast, and other fine places. Find him online at nickolsonbooks.com or on Twitter @nickolsonbooks.