Clamor 2021

Page 98

Tired Nina Jouval

I woke up in an empty room. To a noise so

above me with no sky in sight. Various jungle

uproarious that it rattled my skull. I can’t move. My room looks lonely with nothing but a bed. Is this my room? The worries of yesterday are weighing me down. All I can do is think about how tired I am and how wonderful it sounds to doze back off to dreamland. But the noise grows stronger and causes the walls to buzz. I try to drown out the noise by pressing my pillow hard against my ears, but the commotion persists. Then suddenly I start floating out of bed. And once my feet hit the floor the noise abruptly ceases. My ears say thank you. As I walk toward the door, I don’t seem to get any closer. I walk faster, and faster, and start to run, but somehow, I’m not going anywhere. I look up to the ceiling and see a black sky with speckled stars. I look out the window and see a bright blue sky with clouds fluffy enough to eat at a carnival. The deep dark sky suddenly begins to spin like a planetarium. Faster and faster until my mind starts doing cartwheels and I fall on my knees. I stay with my eyes closed to wait for the spinning to stop, but it doesn’t. Seems like hours have gone by. I slowly raise my heavy eyelids and the twirling stops. When I look around, I’m no longer in my room. I’m in a dense jungle. The soft, mossy ground feels comforting on my bare feet. The countless plants and trees loom

animals squeak, squawk, and purr… Purr? I leap around, ready to be attacked by a tiger, but it’s a charming little black cat.

94

She hops up on my shoulder and whispers, “What are you doing in a place like this? You don’t belong here.” I know. We start walking aimlessly and come across a bridge, but I can’t see where it ends. I start on the bridge with the cat trotting beside me. First, I see a giant multicolored butterfly the size of a grand piano. It blocks the way with its wings and stares at me with its mesmerizing motif. I say, “Do you mind moving out of my way? I’m trying to get somewhere.” The butterfly says, “Well where are you trying to go?” I pause and reply, “I don’t know. Home?” The butterfly’s wings start to shift and change. “You seem uncertain.” Before I can respond, the cat lunges at it. The butterfly lifts off with its colossal wings. I continue on the bridge and see a spotted blue boa constrictor. It slides up my leg and wraps around me loosely. “What are you doing?” I say.


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Nightingale

1min
pages 121-122

Contributors

16min
pages 125-134

Avocado and melon salad

0
page 120

Frost and Fog

1min
pages 116-117

Funhouse Mirror / rorriM esuohnuF

3min
pages 113-115

Raking Leaves

0
page 111

The Waiting Room

6min
pages 106-109

Tired

3min
pages 98-99

My Mirror

0
page 104

Candle Crabs in Samar

0
page 96

Along for a Ride

0
page 103

Pandemic Philosophy

6min
pages 91-94

Asilomar, December

0
page 87

Mad Like Me

3min
pages 83-84

Digging to China

1min
pages 74-75

crime and punishment

0
page 73

Roy and Dale and Dad

0
pages 67-68

Dissension in the Ranks

0
page 60

BLUEBERRIES AND CRAYFISH

3min
pages 56-57

An Empty Place

1min
page 59

Ghost Crossing

3min
pages 51-52

A short road trip

4min
pages 70-71

Making your bed

0
page 55

And How Bright

1min
pages 47-48

Genesis

1min
pages 39-40

The Hungry College Kid

0
page 36

Thunder Voices

0
page 35

I gave my innocence to a psychiatrist

0
page 24

believing secretly that i would be the one person in the history of man who would live forever

0
page 19

Call It What You Will

1min
pages 41-43

Honey-Sweet and Slow

1min
page 20

Tea Party

2min
pages 17-18
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