The Autobiography of Red Read Online Free Page A

a fluorescent cover.
     
    On the cover Geryon wrote
Autobiography.
Inside he set down the facts.
     
     
                   
Total Facts Known About Geryon.
     
                   
Geryon was a monster everything about him was red. Geryon lived
                   
on an island in the Atlantic called the Red Place. Geryon’s mother
                   
was a river that runs to the sea the Red Joy River Geryon’s father
                   
was gold. Some say Geryon had six hands six feet some say wings.
                   
Geryon was red so were his strange red cattle. Herakles came one
                   
day killed Geryon got the cattle.
     
    He followed Facts with Questions and Answers.
     
     
                    QUESTIONS
Why did Herakles kill Geryon?
                   
1. Just violent.
                   
2. Had to it was one of His Labors (10th).
                   
3. Got the idea that Geryon was Death otherwise he could live forever.
     
                    FINALLY
                   
Geryon had a little red dog Herakles killed that too.
     
    Where does he get his ideas,
said the teacher. It was Parent-Teacher Day at school.
     
    They were sitting side by side in tiny desks.
     
    Geryon watched his mother pick a fragment of tobacco off her tongue before she said,
     
    Does he ever write anything with a happy ending?
     
    Geryon paused.
     
    Then he reached up and carefully disengaged the composition paper
     
    from the teacher’s hand.
     
    Proceeding to the back of the classroom he sat at his usual desk and took out a pencil.
     
     
                   
New Ending.
                   
All over the world the beautiful red breezes went on blowing hand
                   in hand.
     

VII. CHANGE
     
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    Somehow Geryon made it to adolescence.
     
     
    ————
     
    Then he met Herakles and the kingdoms of his life all shifted down a few notches.
     
    They were two superior eels
     
    at the bottom of the tank and they recognized each other like italics.
     
    Geryon was going into the Bus Depot
     
    one Friday night about three a.m. to get change to call home. Herakles stepped off
     
    the bus from New Mexico and Geryon
     
    came fast around the corner of the platform and there it was one of those moments
     
    that is the opposite of blindness.
     
    The world poured back and forth between their eyes once or twice. Other people
     
    wishing to disembark the bus from New Mexico
     
    were jamming up behind Herakles who had stopped on the bottom step
     
    with his suitcase in one hand
     
    trying to tuck in his shirt with the other.
Do you have change for a dollar?
     
    Geryon heard Geryon say.
     
    No.
Herakles stared straight at Geryon.
But I’ll give you a quarter for free.
     
    Why would you do that?
     
    I believe in being gracious.
Some hours later they were down
     
    at the railroad tracks
     
    standing close together by the switch lights. The huge night moved overhead
     
    scattering drops of itself.
     
    You’re cold,
said Herakles suddenly,
your hands are cold. Here.
     
    He put Geryon’s hands inside his shirt.
     
     

VIII. CLICK
     
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    So who is this new kid you spend all your time with now?
     
     
    ————
     
    Geryon’s mother turned to knock her cigarette ash on the sink then faced Geryon again.
     
    He was seated at the kitchen table
     
    with his camera in front of his face adjusting the focus. He did not answer.
     
    He had recently relinquished speech.
     
    His mother continued.
I hear he doesn’t go to school, is he older?
     
    Geryon was focusing the camera on her throat.
     
    Nobody sees him around, is it true he lives in the trailer park—that where you
     
    go at night?
     
    Geryon moved the focal ring from 3 to 3.5