THE KINGDOMS OF THE BLIND

It rained last night, and it smells like wet earth and cold. I must have left the window open. I don’t mind. I stretch between the sheets, feeling the cotton running down my legs. I’ll be cold in a minute, but for right now everything is—perfect. Fresh and clean and cold and silent except for birds.

Not a car horn, not a soul moving, even the neighbors are quiet. It’s strangely peaceful.

After a minute, I roll out of bed and drift towards the window. I almost trip over the dog, but feel a buzzing pressure on my leg and step over. He whimpers in his sleep, and I fell the buzzing shift as he rolls over. I reach for the knob, and hear Voice in my head.

She asks, What do you want?
And I think, The window closed, stupid.
And she says, Just checking.

I feel the weight on my hand, and allow it to drift to the knob and wind it closed. I turn and maneuver towards the wall. I can feel the pressure of the bed and step to avoid it, aiming for the warmth of the dog jam. I can feel the gentle buzzing of odd items scattered across the floor and pick my way over them.