Thursday, January 18, 2007

Snowfall

He looks up from the table for a moment, seeking inspiration, gazing out towards the sky.

White, powdery flakes dance before his eyes. It's snowing, he realises. When did it start? He goes over to the window, looks down at the street. Snow covers the grass verges like foam on a beard and the road has turned a slushy white. True, it's a heavy fall. But still, it must have been snowing for twenty minutes, maybe more. And he never even noticed.

It frightens him that this could happen. That on an day of such ordinary promise the atmosphere of his luck could change, that somewhere a line could be crossed and his world could turn blank. That calamity could come upon him unheralded, even unheard. That forgetfulness could fall from the sky even as his back was turned, erasing every colour, concealing every road.

He draws the curtain, switches on the light, goes back to work. But he can sense the fear settling over him; he can feel the silence fall.

7 comments:

Chronicus Skepticus said...

I don't know how you make *snow* seem scary and morbid, but you do.

And very well too.

Revealed said...

'True, it's a heavy fall. But still, it must have been snowing for twenty minutes, maybe more.'

Was that supposed to be 'it's not a heavy fall'? Or is this just me being duh?

Revealed said...

And umm honey (I hear that that's your preferred moniker), I would just like to assert, that I too care a monkey :D

Falstaff said...

chronicus: Thanks.

revealed: No, actually. The logic is that if it had been a light fall it would have taken even longer for the ground to get all covered with snow - so it would have been even longer since it started to snow.

I thought the honey was a term of endearment for the monkey he cared for. I wonder if it's a feisty monkey. With perhaps a taste for 'feminist porn'? It would explain so much.

Revealed said...

Ah! OK, makes sense now. The shifting tenses furthered the confusion caused primarily by the deep logic, but the blame is all mine.

And some gang-shagging maybe? Hehe.

Anonymous said...

so how was 'sacred games'?

I am now in a place where one needs a license to watch TV. Hmmm...

Sorry didn't have a relevant comment to make on the post :)

Falstaff said...

revealed: Yes, I guess the tenses were a little misleading

d&c: see here:

http://momus.wordpress.com/2007/01/14/the-big-sikh/