JAYNE PUPEK holds an MA in Psychology and lives near Richmond, VA. Her fiction and poetry have appeared in several online and print publications, including SageWoman, Moondance, Eidos, Divine Animal, Pulse, Green Tricycle, The Dead Mule, and Studio One. Work is forthcoming in Permutations, Coffeehouse Poetry, and Smokelong Quarterly.
                                                                    jellybeans

The patient sits in his therapist's office and chews jellybeans taken from the jar on the desk.

"So, how long have you been attracted to children?" The therapist strokes his graying beard and offers more candy.

"Who me?" the patient replies. His face looks stunned. He pokes out his lip and wrinkles his forehead. "Listen, Doc, I don't even like kids."

"Is that so?" The therapist lifts his eyebrow and jots a note.

"Right," he says and nods. "I can't stand the silly games they play," he explains, then digs into the jellybean jar and picks out all the yummy green ones.

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© 2004 Jayne Pupek