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Contemporary American Fiction

This story contains themes or mentions of physical violence, gore, or abuse.

I am always on the move. I meet a lot of people. Today my first patient is a man called Thomas. Not the brightest bulb by any means. He’s smiling at me as he talks about purity. I nod along. I believe in purity as well, just not the same kind. He talks about purity of blood. He flaunts bruised knuckles.

            Thomas likes to fight. I can see the glow of hunger in his eyes when he talks about hurting people he thinks of as impure. He wants more than that. He asks if I do as well.

            “Do you fight the good fight?” Tom asks me. He’s got a beer bottle in his hand. Something about the way he holds it tells me that he’s used a beer bottle as a weapon before. He likes me but there’s a tickling little voice inside him suggesting he hits me with it.

            “I like to think so,” I tell him. I smile. “There’s so much wrong in this world. I want to wipe it clean.” It’s a line I’ve used before because they always think I’m talking about ethnic cleansing.

            He smiles. “I’ve got some buddies you should meet.” Swigging the rest of his beer he rests the bottle on the bar top and pulls out some cash. He smiles at the woman behind the bar. He can’t tell that when she smiles back, it’s because he’s leaving.

            “Sounds cool. You crack some skulls?” I give him a reflection of his hungry smile. I hate that smile. It’s the smile of an unrepentant killer.

            “Not so loud man,” he shakes his head. His red cap dances about. The numbers 88 on his neck and as he turns around, getting off the bar stool, I see 14 on the other side.

            He’s a worthy candidate for healing. I wonder as we leave the bar if I should wait and meet his friends first. Instinct tells me that the longer I leave the poison to fester inside him, the more it will infect the world.

            He’s got a black van. Nothing special, a lot of guys like him have custom plates to show off their beliefs. Thomas apparently doesn’t want his ride being traced. The licence plates are new. At most they’re a week old.

            I look around. The parking lot is empty. He looks around as well.

            “Got a problem man?” He asks, smiling.

            “No problem, Tom,” I point to his arms. His sleeves are rolled halfway to his elbows. “Blut und ehre?” I ask. I can see the stylised u and t on one arm and r and e near the wrist on the other.

            “Yeah,” he rolls up his sleeves. Smiling, he traces the black letters.

            “Got a swatstika?” I ask, they all have fucking swatstikas.

            “Of course, my whole back.” Tom flips a thumb over his shoulder.

            “Just the kind of guy I was hoping to meet tonight then.” I hold out my hand.


Tom takes my hand and I see realisation dawn in his eyes. My gift worms its way through his veins as fast as his heart can pump the blood. It spreads through the muscles of his body. That’s the easy bit. The ink of his tattoos starts dripping from his skin onto the dust of the parking lot.

            “It must be tiring being filled with hate,” I say. I still have his hand clamped in mine. I look into his eyes. “I’m going to burn that away. All of it.”

            His eyes dart around but we’re alone. It’s dark. The nearest streetlamp doesn’t dare cast its light this far from the road.

            “You killed a man eight days ago.” His eyes bulge. “His name was Yusef. Did you know that? Did you know his name? Did you care? Did you even know he was Muslim, or did you choose him because of the colour of his skin?”

            His nose starts to run. He’s sweating out anger and hatred that have defined most of his life, if not all of it. “You thought that just because the police haven’t found you it was fine?”

            There’s a nasty part of my gift that involves soaking up the memories. Cruel things they’ve done that need to be washed away. Tom killed Yusef. He wasn’t alone. I see their faces, his friends. I also see other people he’s hurt before. Yusef wasn’t the first one to die. He wouldn’t have been the last.

            “No more of that Tom. Don’t worry. This is the kind of second chance even prison can’t offer you. You’ll be a brand-new man.”

            There are so many memories. Thomas has been in this his whole life. His mother and father attended rallies. They taught him the salute. Some hatred goes too deep. He didn’t even know what it meant to begin with. By the time he did there was no questioning it. Desensitised to hatred and violence.

            I try to memorise the faces of Tom’s friends and forget the things they’ve done. It makes me ill when I think about it all.

            No one else will do what I do. Most siphoners don’t care. Some of them are worse monsters than Tom.

            “How are you feeling Tom? Lighter? You just lost a few pounds in tattoo ink. Years of memories. Leaves a lot of space for you to make new ones. Don’t worry, I’m almost done.”

            There’s not much of him left. He’d built a life around hurting people who didn’t fit his definition of pure. I pick his wallet out of his pocket and find his license. I memorise the address. I’ll have to look before he goes home. A person is easy to clean. If he has flags and paraphernalia all over his house, then I’ll just burn it.

            He’s drooling. His muscles, honed through years of violence are limp.

            I’m done.

            He’s as good as new.

            “I’m Tom,” he says, staring up into the dark sky.

            “That’s right buddy. Now that’s all you are. This time you can be a good man.”


I carry him back to the bar with his arm over my shoulder. He looks drunk but the reality is that he’s going to be blank until he learns to live again. I’m going to say hello to his friends before then. They can turn over a new leaf together.

            I take his cap and throw it into the dust before we go inside. He’s not going to need it now.

            “Tom here’s taken a turn,” I say. “Someone call him an ambulance please.” I rest him gently in a seat. He smiles with the easy familiarity of a new-born baby. There really wasn’t much left when the hatred was gone.

            “I’m Tom,” he says.

            “That’s right buddy. Be a good boy now.” I give him a wink and walk away.


Out in the parking lot again I change form. I have to change my appearance constantly to avoid discovery.

            His keys jingle in my hand. I open up his van. Plastic sheets cover the walls. Rope. Baseball bats. A black hood. A spare gasoline can. I open the can and tip it over. It glugs and glugs as it vomits up its contents.

I sigh and take the hood. I pop open the cap to the gas tank and dip the hood down into it. Pulling a lighter from my pocket I birth a little flame in the corner of the cloth. I run to my car as the flame chews its way down the black hood.

            I barely have my car door open when the van explodes. It’s not as impressive as the movies but it is beautiful.

            I turn the key and drive away. My night’s work isn’t finished yet.

May 08, 2022 11:33

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44 comments

Kaizlees Stories
02:41 May 16, 2022

This story is good it's very creative 👌 I just made a new story go check it out

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Graham Kinross
21:55 May 19, 2022

Thanks Ko, I read your story. Great start to your reedsy portfolio. Hopefully you’ll have more for me to read soon, let me know.

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Kaizlees Stories
01:28 May 20, 2022

I will np tell me when you update a new story to I'll love to read it

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Graham Kinross
01:36 May 20, 2022

Thanks, I will.

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Kaizlees Stories
14:59 May 20, 2022

Yay there is new promps I'm so excited

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Samreen Fatima
10:52 Nov 27, 2022

So, it was the beginning. Again great story with a great message. I love the way you are spreading peace and love through Xander. A superhero who can't fly perhaps but who can change your life. Btw taking memory is a great concept. Enjoyed it.

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Graham Kinross
12:33 Nov 27, 2022

Thank you. I’m glad you see it like that. I fear to some people it might just seem like violence. This was my solution to people who live their lives for hate and a way to redeem them.

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Samreen Fatima
12:43 Nov 27, 2022

You are welcome.

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Feuer Wasser
23:51 Jul 29, 2022

So, first off, wow. Second off, dang. I just read all of the stories that go along with this one. I loved them. Very good stuff. I wanna know where you think of all this. Its really cool. Let me know if/when you come out with more:)

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Graham Kinross
00:49 Jul 30, 2022

I think a lot about people who’ve dedicated their lives to hatred. I try to be a pacifist but it’s hard to think of a way to redeem people who live as though racism is their religion. I thought you would need to have superpowers to clean up their souls but even then they wouldn’t be innocent because of the things they’d already done. Watching shows like The Boys was an influence, and other media where even though there are powers they don’t gloss over the darkness in the world and pretend everything is alright. We have to confront it to deal...

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Feuer Wasser
19:12 Jul 30, 2022

Agreed. I've got a feeling that you are a really smart person.

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Graham Kinross
19:40 Jul 30, 2022

Not sure about that but thank you.

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Rama Shaar
04:17 Jun 27, 2022

Very good! I wonder what his back story is and what made ridding the world of evil his mission and gift.

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Graham Kinross
00:42 Jul 30, 2022

Thank you. I have some backstory for him in this chapter of the story. https://blog.reedsy.com/short-story/qor4zw/

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Holly Guy
08:30 May 20, 2022

Hi Graham, this is brilliant! Such a fascinating story. I really liked the line 'He can’t tell that when she smiles back, it’s because he’s leaving.' because it is so true! We've all been there... My only feedback is that sometimes the dialogue was a little bit difficult to keep up with, in the sense I wasn't sure who was talking. For example " “You killed a man eight days ago.” His eyes bulge. “His name was Yusef. Did you know that? Did you know his name? Did you care? Did you even know he was Muslim, or did you choose him because of the c...

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Graham Kinross
08:55 May 20, 2022

Thank you. It was an experiment writing that, I prefer to write in past tense so this was challenging.

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Jay McKenzie
21:30 May 19, 2022

I agree with everyone who wants a sequel! It's such a compelling premise. I want to know about the siphoner- how did he become one? What dealings does he have with the others? What's his story? How is carrying all of those memories going to affect him long term? Yes. I'm in. Tell me more...

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Graham Kinross
21:39 May 19, 2022

Thank you, Jay. If a prompt comes up that fits for a sequel I’ll give it a go. Are you working on a new story at the moment?

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Graham Kinross
07:16 May 22, 2022

This is the sequel. https://blog.reedsy.com/short-story/559mfa/

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Erich Cliffe
15:14 May 19, 2022

Interesting premise. I like how the scenes move fluidly and the imagery is crisp. However, the terms "patient", and "siphoner" threw me off, since they seem like out-of-context jargon. I know it relates to vocabulary that exists in the narrator's world, and I can guess what they mean, but it leaves me wanting an explanation. So I echo other comments in saying a sequel would be nice. I want to know more about this world.

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Graham Kinross
22:06 May 19, 2022

Thank you Erich. I’ll see what I can do about a sequel and I’ll have a look at your stories as well. I try not to use terms for magic that other people use a lot but that leaves some more obscure ones so I can see why that was a bit distracting.

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Graham Kinross
07:17 May 22, 2022

Here's the sequel. https://blog.reedsy.com/short-story/559mfa/

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Zack Powell
01:05 May 19, 2022

Now this is a creative interpretation of the prompt, Graham! Definitely got fooled by the genre tags, so when the twist happened, it kept my full attention. I'm gonna parrot Deidra - a sequel to this would be lovely. The premise is great, and there's a lot of interesting situations you could land the narrator in. The ending was a huge cliffhanger, too. If this were the first chapter of a book, I'd absolutely continue reading. By the way, I really like the writing style you used for this one. Very light on commas, mostly just declarative sent...

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Graham Kinross
01:57 May 19, 2022

Thank you. I’ll give a sequel a go if I find a prompt that suits it. It’s a very different style for me. Sticking in present tense feels unnatural for me. It’s more common I think in America to tells stories in present tense but in the U.K. past tense is used for things that happened even moments ago. It was a challenge.

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Suma Jayachandar
05:41 May 15, 2022

A beautifully crafted story. I normally skip reading stories that warn me of violent content, unless they are this well written- Crisp, action filled and it's heart at the right place. Thank you for sharing this.

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Graham Kinross
21:54 May 19, 2022

I wanted something that would half redeem people who have dedicated their lives to hatred. In the grand scheme of things they’ve still done terrible things but at least they wouldn’t keep going. I want to talk about that more if there’s a prompt that fits it. What are you working on?

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16:08 May 14, 2022

Graham, I think you just wrote the pilot of an excellent television series. A modern day take on "Touched by an Angel" -- but definitely updated for the post-post-modern day era. Gritty. Naturalism at its finest. I didn't want it to end. I wanted more. I am filled with questions about both of these characters...I read it twice. Then a third time. Well done. Well done. Well done. (I hope to see a sequel?)

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Graham Kinross
02:18 May 15, 2022

Thank you. I’ll think about a sequel. Did you get my email about the podcast?

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15:31 May 15, 2022

YES -- I forwarded to Russell about your story for Blue Marble Storytellers. Do you want to be interviewed for Read Lots Write Lots? I'll email you more details about both. (Russell has been "world traveling" for his job, so he'll be in touch when he catches up!) :)

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Graham Kinross
07:18 May 22, 2022

Sorry for the late reply. I would prefer my story being read if that's ok. Maybe I'll work up the courage for an interview later. Here's the sequel to this one. https://blog.reedsy.com/short-story/559mfa/

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Amanda Lieser
18:50 Jan 22, 2023

Hi Graham! I really enjoyed this one. The way you described “the gift” was really beautiful. I like that it’s not a death sentence, but a promise of rebirth. I also loved the way you talked about how some parts of a culture aren’t controlled and that some people simply never stood a chance to find a world without hate. I also loved that last line because it really did feel cinematic. Nice job!

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Graham Kinross
21:19 Jan 22, 2023

It’s a shame. Hate groups are like cults and people born into them would never know anything different. Occasionally I read about people who were and started to see the world without the lens of that hatred but they’re the exceptions rather than the rule.

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Mike Panasitti
17:47 Nov 15, 2022

So I finally read the first installment to the Xander series, and I'm not disappointed. One thing that worries me about this one, and may be a good avenue for you to explore further, is the Clockwork Orange implication of Tom's "cleansing." He doubtlessly runs with other white supremacists, so to become an "uncle Tom" Aryan Brother is going to run afoul his comrades...and that, more often than not, translates into a death sentence. Besides that possible unexpected outcome, your prose is flawless. Although many of our compatriots swear ...

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Graham Kinross
22:14 Nov 15, 2022

Using present tense was a challenge to myself. There’s a bias towards past tense in the U.K. and I think commonly a bias towards present tense in American storytelling when it comes to contemporary tales. It was difficult not to slip into past tense but now that I’ve written a few it’s getting easier. I can appreciate the benefits of past and present tense. Present tense has immediacy and puts the reader in the moment but lacks some of the clarity of past tense I think. As for Tom. The intention was to leave him to the mercy of his ‘brothe...

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Mike Panasitti
23:16 Nov 15, 2022

I think the reasons you've given for Tom's treatment are justifiable, but I think it would add some fascinating depth to the plot if the characters Xander "saves" also unintentionally suffer as a result of the "cleansing" they experience at the hands and through the mind and heart of the protagonist. This would make Xander's interventions more ambivalent, less unquestionably righteous. The hero with a flaw is always the more interesting hero in my mind.

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Graham Kinross
23:33 Nov 15, 2022

I’m sure they would suffer, adults with the knowledge of children, among adults who live lives devoid of mercy. I don’t think of Xander as a knight in shining armour. He’s a vigilante with dirty hands. He’s likewise desensitised because he’s been doing it for years and he grew up in a violent home.

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Mike Panasitti
23:39 Nov 15, 2022

I'm sure I'll get a clearer and more complex picture of Xander as I read on in the series.

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Mike Panasitti
23:46 Nov 15, 2022

Question: Do you teach English in Japan. I'm enrolled in a TEFL certification course I begin at the end of the month. I'm considering going to Eastern Europe to teach ESL.

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Graham Kinross
00:03 Nov 16, 2022

I teach English at a preschool. It's one of the few jobs I'm qualified for after going to art school. Thanks for reading the Xander series and giving me your thoughts on it.

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Graham Kinross
12:38 Aug 05, 2023

This is the first of the series, if you want to read on then you can use the link below. Thank you. https://blog.reedsy.com/short-story/559mfa/

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Aoi Yamato
00:45 Aug 03, 2023

very interesting.

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Graham Kinross
07:51 Aug 03, 2023

Thank you.

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Aoi Yamato
00:51 Aug 04, 2023

wel.come

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