[Natural Law]
by not jenny.
Rule #1: There is no such thing as absolute silence.
A car engine starts, asthmatic and wheezing. Breaks squeak. Someone pounds on his horn, beep beep b-e-e-p. A group of teenagers flirt in Spanglish, loudly announcing their desires to the entire block. Someone rattles the chain on the parking lot behind the building. A police siren wails; a fire engine rushes by.
The television is on mute, but she can almost hear Sue Simmons turning things over to Janice Huff, "and how's the weather going to be this weekend? as they pan over to the weather map. She turns up her stereo, blasting "London Calling" to try to drown out the howl of the wind.
Her hand shakes. She presses it into the table.
Her leg aches, spasms; rain trickles down the window.
A car backfires. She ducks, taking cover under her coffee table. Sits on the floor as if she meant to all along. Her dinner sits, uneaten, on the couch. Two eggs, long turned to rubber, and a piece of burnt wheat toast. A cup of cold coffee on the end table. Orange juice.
Outside the comfort of her apartment, someone just disappeared. And another. She wants to find them all.
(She is fine. She is. Everything is fine. She sits.)
finis.
[once more into the fray]