[The next many entries are the current story I am working on. This is nine of who knows how many will be posted. Enjoy it while it lasts...]
Chapter Three
Adam wasn’t sure what time it was but it was dark when he crawled out of bed and walked to the bathroom to pee. When he finished he stopped at the sink, turned the faucet on and let the basin fill with cold water. He stared at his reflection while he waited and it stirred up zero emotion, the empty cavern in his gut unmoved. The face staring back at him was long, the curly hair on top of his head matted in several directions. His eyes were rimmed with dark circles on the bottom and thick, black brows across the top, giving him the appearance of a raccoon. His wide nose held watch over a scratchy, two-day growth of beard. He reached with both hands and slowly pulled at the slack skin on both his cheeks, tugging them out to their limit and releasing, repeating it over and over until his skin turned red from the epidermal taffy pull. It added color to his face but his eyes were still a flat gray, devoid of any sparkle, any indication he was alive. “What now?” he watched himself say. “I guess it’s just you and me.” Then he plunged his face into the cold water and held it there, counting to twenty, slowly, hoping the chilly brace would work some magic and give him some life. He repeated the dunk twelve times before he realized it wasn’t going to do any good.
He was hungry, somewhat, and knew he should eat. He had been surviving on cigarettes and mouthwash but that needed to end. He started toward the kitchen with good intentions, anticipating a bologna sandwich and maybe some pretzels, but he never made it farther than his bed. Sleeping, hiding, seemed the right thing to do. Being conscious and awake carried with it responsibilities and things he didn’t want to consider. If he was asleep he could pretend it was all a dream.
All words and images ©2006/J. Colle
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