Action Figure

and the paramedics arrived too late to save him. The first person to find him—at least accordingto Mrs. Swanson who lives across from his house—was his girlfriend (or maybe it was just a friend). Later Mrs. Greer who lives next door said it was in fact his sister, Mary—she was the middle child, he was the youngest, and he had an older brother, Scott—that found him: chair kicked, noose digging into the flesh around his neck, body dangling and lifeless. It was said by Mrs. Reed that he was in a mental hospital the last year for trying to stab his mom. Mr. Waters
two houses down, whose son Mary often baby-sat for, said he had Aspergers. Mr. Porter said he talked to him when he was a child—probably around five, right after they moved in—and said he seemed normal and asked him, “Which house do you live in?” Mrs. Jensen said she didn’t think suicide was typical among people with Aspergers. But Mr. Ron noted he did have violent tendencies, once he repeatedly smashed a skate board against a Star Wars action figure. Another time he taped fireworks to Legos. And Mrs. Benson, who lives in the house behind his, seconded that the kid did have queer tendencies—once he threw dog feces over the fence into her yard, which she was quite displeased with. The paper said he “died unexpectedly” and “immediately went into Jesus’ arms"—even though people who hang themselves generally take at least a couple minutes to die while they’re dangling—and asked people to "bring Legos and Star Wars
action figures to Orlander Luthern Church."