syl persaud /d10 cb

They tell him that he’s destined for greatness, because he shoots up like a sunflower and fills out faster than the other boys in his class. They call him the career and brandish their wrenches at him in metal shop like they’re matadors with swords and he's a bull in a ring.

At the reaping, the other kids shuffle around him expectantly, waiting for him to raise his hand and play the hero. He never does, only watches, smiling faintly as some other boy goes off to war.

At home, his father runs a hand through his hair and comments that he’s getting tall. His mother stares up at him proudly, an almost vain look in her eye as she takes in the stature of her son. She looks at him as if he’s just another young bull headed off to market.

”What price will I fetch you, ma?” he wants to ask, but never does, just smiles faintly as she turns away.

The scar comes in the few precious seconds that he isn’t looking. But every rancher’s son worth their salt knows that you never turn your back on a bull.

”You’re lucky to be alive” his father says.

At school, he’s treated with reverence instead of like the stupid son of a bitch that he feels like he is. Rumours dance around him all afternoon, ’the career was in a knife fight’ is the story by the end of the week.

Syl just smiles faintly and thinks about the bull. He wonders what it feels like to live in a cage and how frustrating it must be to be boxed in like that all alone, apart from everyone else.

That afternoon, he goes back to the paddock. He watches the bull run up and down the fence line, tossing his head from side to side, snorting in rage.

And in the morning, on his way to school with his bandage curling under his eye, he stops and holds a carrot out through the fence. Then Syl reaches his other hand through to scratch under the bull’s chin as it chews.

”Just being alive is plenty,” he whispers, ”You don’t have to fight just because you’re big.”

But the animal only huffs, and shakes Syl's hand away in disagreement–

Bulls are bred for a reason.