He always comes for a visit just as I go to bed. I don't know how he gets in but he always does. The fact that it may be inconvenient for me doesn't bother him at all. He's like a mosquito that just won't die. It doesn't matter how many times I swat at him he always comes back louder. I wrap a pillow around my head and press my face into the mattress, but this only seems to amplify his voice.
I seek sanctuary in my bathroom. Enjoying the silence, I stay in there a awkward amount of time. I open the door a crack to see if he is still here. Not hearing him I sneak back to my room and into bed, but as soon as I switch off the lights he's back.
Instantly launching into a diatribe about how I am ruining my life, he explains to me in great detail how every decision I have made since his last visit is bringing me one step closer to being a failure. I attempt to find fault in his arguments but everything he says is accurate, just as it always is. Begrudgingly, I admit he is right. I can feel his smirk through the darkness.
Now he starts to tell me how I can still salvage things. He explains that all is not lost and I can still amount to something. As he continues to layout his multi-point plan for my salvation I muster all my courage and blurt out "NO".
The tension in the room builds at a exponential rate. "Idiot" he roars, "fool, imbecile, moron, simpleton, nitwit, twit...." His tirade lays siege to my mind, but I remain steadfast in my contrariness. Realizing that his frontal assault is not going to work he attempts to reason with me. As before all his contentions are valid but I am resolute.
"Why not?" he ask.
"Am I happy?" I reply.
Throwing up his hands in disgust he turns his back and fades away into the blackness. One of these days he just might win but until then at least I have that.
Places I Go
Blog Archive
About Me
- Agrican
- I'm almost as talented as Paula Nancy Millstone Jennings.
1 comment:
i enjoy your themes. they are honest and sympathetic. i find it difficult to critique this one because i am too involved in the story itself. but perhaps that is the best review? not being able to maintain objectivity?
the introduction didn't grab me right away. perhaps some sort of action that illustrates what you're saying instead of just saying it would be stronger? once you reach the part where you wrap the pillow around your head, it becomes more interesting.
the end is intriguing. i like how you leave it at just a question, "am i happy?" i suppose you are implying that you are, but i love that you don't state so. that is what stays with me and brings my mind back to the story after i've left.
Post a Comment