KENOSIS

At some time in late evening Frank Prine decided he would trim his fingernails and toenails. So he did. He took nail clippers from one of the bathroom drawers and began trimming. When he finished all the trimming he could accomplish, he folded and returned the clippers to the drawer and shut the drawer. 

Then he got dressed in some nice clothes and went to a nice restaurant. Frank Prine was not married, so he sat at a table alone. He was going to sit at the bar, alone, but on this night he preferred a table; he didn’t know why and didn’t bother asking himself for a reason. 

A waiter came over and took Frank’s order. The meal came in a few minutes and Frank ate the food then left the restaurant and went home. He got in bed and fell asleep. There was a slight humming noise coming from somewhere in the house. 

The next day was a Saturday. Frank got out of bed, dressed, and mowed the lawn. The grass had grown just enough for Frank to mow it. Upon finishing the mowing, he replaced the lawn mower in the garage and then went to the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator. There was a clear-plastic container of tea on the top shelf. Frank took the container and set it on the counter to the left of the refrigerator. He then took a tall glass from the cupboard and poured some of the tea into the glass, almost filling it. 

Then he drank the tea. 

Frank Prine died of poisoning three days later. The authorities concluded that since Frank had lived alone all his life (with the exception of childhood), he must have added the poison to the tea himself and had forgotten he had done so. 

Frank’s death, then, was ruled a suicide. 

Of sorts.

 

 

© 2023 Jeffrey S. Callico