Wednesday, October 31, 2012

New Weather Stories

Dark clouds were rolling in, we could feel it on campus. The wind was picking up, and while professors made up excuses to cancel classes and went to be with their families, the student body was less than hunkered down. Frantic administrative emergency emails were sent out and then sort of just stopped coming, but we did not concern ourselves with what this might mean. The air smelled sweetly of inevitability, and the buzz about the student center was faint but pulsing.

"I think this might be the real end," Jesse said to me as we shared a cigarette in his car with the windows up. We regarded the horizon, which was gloomy and approaching fast.

"Yep," I said, and then, because we were young, "should we hit up the liquor store?"

Jesse smiled, resigned. A storm was coming, and when it hit we would all dance close to the windows.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

New Love Stories

We had just moved into a small apartment at the bottom of the ocean.

"I'd just like to go over some household expectations," you announced. "For instance, I expect you to clean the jellyfish out of the pipes. Also if we spring a leak I expect you to let me die first as I don't think I could handle drowning down here alone."

I nodded, this all sounded pretty reasonable.

"In return," you said, "I'll cook fish you catch. Healthy-looking ones at least. And I won't complain about how long the commute is by submarine."

That night we made love by the light of the anglerfish. It was a hassle that I'd need to pick up oxygen tanks every day until the algae farm started working, but the moon sure looked pretty nice reflected in the water's surface.