8-year-old Henry’s
goldfish died. Mom, Erin, wants
to flush. Not Henry.

This requires proper
burial. Henry grabs the
plastic beach shovels.

Erin can’t stomach
a dead fish so she uncorks
the Pinot noir.

As Henry reads the
eulogy, an escaped bird
runs through the service.

Runs? It’s an emu.
They both escape fast, emu
in tow. Supplies ditched.

Later, Clink and Pumps
(street names) come along, needing
to hide their pot stash.

Underage, living
with parents who just say no
to drugs and dealing.

They find the shovels
and wine. They dig a hiding
spot for the ganja.

All the while, chugging
discarded wine (minors love
freebie alcohol).

Unbeknownst to them,
Landon, an emo poet,
has been watching them.

Taking notes, writing
a dark poem about youth
pain and loneliness.

But the pain of this
youth is no match for Landen’s.
He numbs it with smoke.

Marijuana. As
luck would have it, he knows where
some is now buried.

He digs up the weed
and smokes. He puts poem in
empty wine bottle.

He fantasizes
about throwing it to sea-
message in bottle.

But he is too high
to embark on a journey
that requires effort.

So he buries it
along with the dead goldfish
he found on the ground.

When Henry and Mom
return, they are delighted
by magical grave.

When Clink and Pumps come
back, they dig up the poem
and are moved to tears.

But the tears really
start flowing when they detect
that their stash is gone.