I Refuse

‘Do you think it’s true what they say about the cogwheel and your conscience.’ ‘No, what.’ ‘Well, that your conscience is like a cogwheel, or even like a circular saw, whirring round, and its sharp teeth are biting into your soul, hurting like hell and each time you do something really bad your blood is spurting, but then you do more and more bad things and the teeth are ground down and your soul becomes all calloused and then you don’t feel anything when the wheel goes round and then that’s who you are.’ ‘Who.’ ‘The one who does terrible things and doesn’t even notice.’