I don’t know too much about firearms, but this must be a rifle, a pistol can’t shoot over 2.5 miles. I bring this up because you end with “Fear not, small friend”, which sounds like a pistol.

Or is this David facing Goliath with a slingshot and 20 well chosen stones?

Kidding aside. my brother hunts a lot and talks to his rifles when he cleans and hunts with them.

Cleans them, not while vacuuming.

I knew what you meant about cleaning.

The narrator is addressing the round of ammunition, which is small, though the weapon that fires it is about as long as my arm.

Since when did you become all metric?? :) Ah, there’s the THX signature humor in the last line!
Indirect personification of a projectile
oddly satisfying

Definately a rife. So do you americans call 9mm rounds .9 cm? This is very confusing. I liked the factual skeleton of this piece, and the way that is was directed towards the ammo itself. I would be interested to know what model you’re referring to though, the magazine capacity has got me puzzled.

“Within your lifeless frame is death, in that my life” – genius line. I love it. And so very, very true. The subtle reference to a trigger in the fifth para is very cool.

A great ficly full of contradiction and honesty. Every sentence is a wonder really, and the last line is just brilliant. Great job. =)
Abby x

For those that are curious, the measurements are literal as opposed to technical. So, I used a ruler on the round in question to get the measurements.

The rifle in question is a standard issue M4 (civilian iteration is sometimes called an AR15). I’ve got 20 rounds of armor piercing ammunition in a PMAG magazine, plus a number of other loaded magazines on hand.

My favorite part of this story was discovered accidentally. I was reading it out loud to my sister, and realized the last four sentences (two lines) are very poetic-they have impeccable rhythm and rhyme. :D

Oddly enough, their poetic nature was accidental as well.

Thanks Emilou.

A bit pensive, a bit dark, this reads like the musings of a borderline sociopath. In a nice way. I don’t really like the technicals – usually I dislike having too many numbers involved – but the ambivalence and the conflicting thoughts were excellent. To “stay with him so briefly and forever” – both intimate and dark at once. It’s a little strange overall, but a good read through and through.