HOWIE THE HANGER

     Howie was in love with Jessica, and why not? Jessica was a beautiful young woman whose lustrous blond hair cascaded down to her hips, hips which kept Howie awake at night. Which was a drag, because there's not a lot to do in a bedroom closet at night. That's where Howie spent most of his time. He was, after all, a hanger. 

     Sometimes, the best times, Jessica would hang him, and the dress that was hung on him, on the hook on the bedroom door at night, to remind her of what she had decided to wear the next day. On these wonderful nights, Howie could watch her sleep and imagine that he was lying next to her. In these imaginings, he was not a hanger, but a real man, and his body extended down beyond his chest, down to and including feet, and all the other parts that a real man has. He didn't really know what they all were, but he thought he would have fun using them.

     Then one night Jessica brought home a man named Don. Howie was hanging on the bedroom closet door, and he could see them sitting on the couch in the living room, drinking martinis and laughing.

     Then she brought him into the bedroom and they got undressed. When Howie saw the full male anatomy, he sensed trouble. Sure enough, his worst fears were trumped by all the things Don did to Jessica with that disgusting THING he had on him. And she seemed to LIKE it! Did he really know her after all? Who WAS this person?

     Disillusion is a terrible thing. Especially if you're a hanger, and your illusions are all you have.