Gardening
by Mr. Mbotu
You need good fertilizer and a lot of it. Get some people
to spread down, enough for
a whole field. Get their children
to fill in the edges. Over that, you bring in the dirt for
a hard packed covering, but smooth. Keep it smooth. It takes awhile
to bring in
enough dirt, so all you hear is the silence of the field
and not the things growing,
underneath.
Caring for Pets
by Mr. Botha
The dogs will bark while they’re chained and there is nothing
you can do about that.
I feed them enough to keep them hungry
and their teeth sharp. Look for the heft of
the thigh, the shiny
flank. You can breed loyalty just like you can breed killing. Give
them permission to do nothing except your command. Otherwise
they may be found
dead, no matter how fond of them you thought
you had become.
A Clean House
by Mr. Milosovic
You should be able to smell your own fingers and smile. I have three binders
of
evidence, despite the locked truck they pulled from the lake. Make sure
you dispose
of all your garbage. In the waking daylight, you must be able
to show you have scraped
away what is contaminated—even if you’re not tidy,
at least have pride in your work.
Appliances in Good Order
by Mr. Pinochet
Sometimes you have to do the job yourself, and for those unexpected or even planned
events, good tools make all the difference. You don’t want to have to rip the doors
off
the oven or wrench the dishwasher’s ball bearings loose. You want to move so slowly
you can feel the grease in the air, see the metal entrails on the floor before you even
raise your hand. Make sure you keep the manual close. Some parts are
difficult to put
back.