“The Story of an Empty Sleeve”

Illustrated by Charles Dana Gibson

A Childish Curtain

Marc Spector

It’s not something there that sparks a young boy’s curiosity, it’s what’s not there. A vacant space made for something. The limbless man is saddened by the look on the boy’s face. Fear and wonder fill the boy's head. A fear of life. The boy’s simple world is no longer simple. He realizes there are men without limbs and that the world is filled with violence and hate. The boy knows not if he should be afraid or enthused. He is confused. He has never seen such a sight. Snippets of bombs and bullets play behind the wide eyes of the boy. He pictures and feels the screaming pain of the man. The boy has no clue what the story could teach him. A man lives without an arm, yet he is still living. The boy is blind to this. A childish curtain of imagination and immaturity blocks his ability to see it. He only sees a man with no arm. A man burdened by loss. He feels a fear. He doesn’t feel the warmth of it all. He doesn’t see that at least the man is still living.