My Lucid Reality

The room was dark, black billowing darkness crept through the hallways as if alive, hunting for the same thing the rest of us longed for, escape.  I sat at my desk watching the darkness enfold the hallways, encircle the chairs, it peeked around the corner of my cubicle before entering.  I sat in stunned silent as the viperous vapor surrounded me.  “So this is the absence of light.” The voice in my head whispered.  It continued in stunned loss.  “So this is the absence of air.”  I sat quiet, befuddled by the movement around me, the sounds of movement without direction, the business that came from fear, the excitement that came from the unknown.  I sat, the world turned and I sat, I don’t like movement without purpose, I do not appreciate wild scrambling with no direction; morally I am opposed to looking busy for the sake of looking busy.

The darkness billowed and flowed about me, from any view outside my own it would have been a torrent of confusion, a cyclone of crisis, but for me it was an exercise in organization.  The darkness simply wasn’t filed, it wasn’t where it needed to be, it didn’t find an escape because no one would show it the way, everyone was far to eager to let this entity control them.  I held still and wondered how it controlled them, I lifted my arm, there was darkness, but it never moved my arm, there was no pressure outside the suffocation of light.  If I stood rashly or bolted forward, it would be my own fault if I bumped into a wall, or crashed over something unseen, the darkness and unknown did not control me… but there I sat listening to those who were controlled by the darkness, who let their lack of understanding make the decisions for them.

In my mind I formed the image of where I thought I was, every touch and feel put texture to the image like crayons put color to a black and white picture.  My fumbling was whispered, none knew of my failures (which could be more accurately labeled discoveries) but myself.  My hands worked through the absence of light, I acted with reason and prudence whispering directions behind me.  Glasses crashed as someone found the kitchen.  The darkness was suffocating, all air was a thought of the past, but I knew the destination.  My hand was on the window, sweat coated my forehead from frustration, chaos raging about me I saw a glimmer of hope as the knob turned under my steady fingertips, I was about to save them all from the darkness, I was about to give the smoke somewhere else to go.

A hand closed on my arm, the familiar voice asked for a moment of my time.  I turned, I sat, his words were broken, his emotions controlled by the darkness, his helplessness plain.  “I have some bad news.” He began, the air pulsed with his fear. “Things are hard right now.”  I sat, I waited. “We have to let you go; there is too much darkness, and the smoke is thick.  We appreciated all you did.”  I stood, with back held straight I walked, the darkness flowed away from my path, the confusion churned behind me, and as the door closed behind me, I focused, I stood, and I walked away.

What’s next, I’m still not sure, I have some excellent references, but I might take a night or two to steady before trying to pin the tail on this particular donkey.  I am open to suggestions.

(I thought this picture was funny, and it’s “about the economy”)