The Hanging

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I teach at a community college, but I assure you that Anacapa College, its faculty, administration, staff, students, and location are entirely creatures of my imagination and do not represent any actual person living or dead. The effects of the current economy on higher education are, however, real enough.

“I’m going to kill the bastard, Maggie.”

Sly burst into my classroom as full of angry bombast and thunder as the wild storm blowing outside. Water poured down his red face; cold, rain, fury, tears, all of them at once. My students looked up from their work-the unit was film editing-and set off a murmur of low-volume conversations, a humming Greek chorus well suited to the drama unfolding.

I spooled a couple of feet of stiff brown paper toweling off the roll I had pilfered from the faculty lounge to keep my drenched students from dripping onto their equipment and handed the wad to Sly.

“Who are you going to kill?” I asked as he mopped his face.

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