Monday, December 31, 2012

Gabira sits by the window


A fiction piece that really has no meaning or purpose. Don't read too much into it. Gabira is sitting by her window and writing this piece.

Hi. My name is Gabira. The day is Monday and the time is 4:32 pm. Well, it really is 4:20 pm but my watch is always a little ahead. It's a habit that I seem to have developed off late. The watch on my wrist is 12 mins ahead. My mobile phone is 6 mins ahead. My bedside clock is 1 hour 34 minutes ahead. A combination of daylight savings, weak battery and basic apathy were the cause for this large time skew. There is nothing wrong with the watch and the mobile phone. They are sped up on purpose. I think it helps me be on time. Though I am not entirely sure. A scientific experiment logging the duration and times I was late would help decide. But that's too much work and not of much consequence. I think I won't be late if I don't want to. Issue is, it's too much effort to want to.

My ex-boyfriend gifted me a scented candle. I think I mentioned to him once that I seemed to like nice smelling things. He was a nice guy and quite rad too. I think eventually the spark died between us. I have his candle nevertheless. I light it now and then. I lit it today. It no longer smells like it once did . The years have beaten the smells into submission. The candle sits by my window. Seems like a good place for a candle. I was thinking of placing it near my bedside but then it might become a potential fire hazard with all the books lying around. I need to get the fire alarm fixed in my apartment. I once took the effort to inform the super. He replaced it but it still doesn't work. How do I know ? Well I nearly set the tortilla on fire the other day. There was black smoke bellowing yet no alarm. Can you believe that ? I think I should call the super again. I probably won't end up though. Firstly, it's too much effort. Secondly, I am kind of hesitant to tell him that fire alarm he fixed last time doesn't work. That's the annoying thing with these alarms. The only way you can test them is by causing the actual emergency. It's too much effort to explain to him that I nearly recreated the emergency situation sometime back. Here. I go belaboring again and overthinking something so simple as calling the super.

The world outside is going dark now. Damn this time of the year. No, I take it back. I kind of like this time of the year. The evening gloom is sexy in a sort of way. Gloom and Melonchalia are emotions too. I don't cherish it but it makes me feel something. Feeling emotions is important. It reminds me that I am alive. Normally this time in the evening would be quite depressing. But It's snowing now. With intermittent gusts of wind too. I think it adds more character to the snowfall. Like its angry and has some emotion. The size of the snow flakes seem to be growing in size too. I've noticed this happening with every snowfall. It starts with tiny flakes until it grows into these big giant ones. The tiny ones don't cause the roads to get whitened out. I think we are in for some whitening out tonight. Yes, the dark is getting deeper. The streetlights are more prominent now. The candle too. Notice, I referred to it as 'the candle' and not 'my candle'. I still can't bring myself to say my candle. I know he gifted it to me and it belongs to me. Still it seems kind of alien. I can burn it though and watch the flames flicker and dance their enchanting dance to a background of a bleak, grim and cold new year's eve.

-- Gabira (Gabby)