People's Choice Award: Old Yello

By Natasha Dennerstein

EXCERPT:

June 2nd 
The guy downstairs is part-time. He only wears his yellow t-shirt about once a week, but I know who sent him and who he is. It’s not rocket science. That bastard Yello has been talking to me. He says stuff like: 'We’re watching you’ to freak me out. He also says: ‘Loser. Loser. Loser’ and stuff like that. He said to me: ‘I’ve got an agent downstairs, and he's got his eye on you.’
     Now Red Nissan has been joined by a little Mazda Roadster, white, licence plates BMP 777. It’s owned by an older babe - a real hottie. She stays overnight at her boyfriend’s. That Yello is a clever bastard. He uses really hot-looking bitches to do his dirty work.
     I just stay home and watch TV, play my X-box and smoke my weed. I only go out to WINZ when I have to, for my benefit. Yello’s got an agent there, too.

July 2nd
I just stay inside, now. I’ve got the curtains drawn so old Yello and his posse can’t look in. They don’t know if I’m home. Sometimes I take Winston out for a walk to do his business. I monitor Red Nissan. White Mazda Roadster’s been gone for a while. I sold my car to my mate at the panel beater’s. I stopped going around to score. No money.
     It’s just so cold. I shut up all my windows with duct tape and rolled–up towels under the front door. That way I only have to have the heater on for twenty minutes and it heats up the whole place. I smoke my rollies, drink my cokes, eat my packet Asian noodles and tins of spaghetti.
     I wish that Yello would get out of my head. He’s trying to get me to kill myself, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. He’s on at me all the time, calling me a loser. When I walk at night, say I’m going to turn left, he says: ‘turn right, turn right!’. I know it’s him, so I say: ‘Piss off, Yello. Piss off, Yello.’ Sometimes people look at me funny because I’m, like, talking to Yello, and there’s no-one there. I must look like a dork.
     Mum came around and she brought my sister, Pheobe. She knows I love Pheobe. I was so ‘shamed, man. This place was such a mess. Mum said it stunk. They took Winston home to Mum’s, ‘cause they said I couldn’t look after him. Pheobe started crying. After they left, I started crying, too. I’ve got no friends and I’m always on a downer, worried about Yello and the BMP’s and that. I haven’t cried since I was a kid. The thing that got me was the look of pity in Pheobe’s eyes. Feeling sorry for her big bro.’ Man! I been thinking about topping myself, but I can’t do it, number one because I would probably stuff it up, and number two because it would break Pheobe’s heart and Mum’s too. I know what Pheobes is like, and she’d probably think she wasn’t worth loving enough for me to stick around.

August 2nd
Hey, these people from the Mental Health came around. A dude called Matt and a babe called Jordan. She’s got huge tits and wears all purple. She’s real old - like thirty or something - but she’s kinda cool.  That Matt guy is awesome. I think Mum and Pheobe sent them ‘round. They think I’m psycho. They reckon it’s all imaginary about Yello and the Bumps, but I told them it really happened.
     If I’m going to be honest, I’m glade they came around. I was in a bad way. Never go out. No mates. Smelly, dirty flat. Scared all the time. They brought this lady Doctor around. I almost cried again, ‘cause she reminded me of mum, but I didn’t. Too ‘shamed. Anyhow, they gave me these green pills. I take two at night. They help me sleep and not worry so much about all the bad things.