Joe watches actors imitate life. The live studio audience informs him what’s a joke and what’s not. The crowd chuckles, and, seconds later, Joe chuckles. Joe’s whole personality is after the fact. 

The sitcom’s star utters his catchphrase. Joe waits to see if the line is still funny.

Knock, knock.

Joe stares at his front door. Then he looks at his television for instruction. The pixelated cast mouths Joe his line.

“Who’s there?”

“The world.”

“The world who?”

“The big scary world.”

Everyone laughs. Joe knows life isn’t scary except when that disaster show comes on at nine.



Will Musgrove is a writer and journalist from Northwest Iowa. He received an MFA from Minnesota State University, Mankato. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Versification, Unstamatic, (mac)ro(mic), Ghost Parachute, Serotonin, Defenestration, Rabid Oak, Flash Frontier, and elsewhere. Follow him on Twitter at @Will_Musgrove.