The Flickering LightA Story by Danny MetcalfeOUTSIDE A BAR, A STREET LIGHT
FLICKERED. The bar was loud and the people were quiet. So quiet you could
hear the secrets that hung from their lips that they swallowed with every
sip of alcohol yet were unable to digest. They
did not become drunk on drink, but on their
secrets, that got stuck in their guts and
were unable to lay to rest. ‘’Last week a witch was burned
at the stake’’ a man said ‘’She let down her country by
letting up her secrets’’ a man replied ‘’Her last words were: Although
the water is dumb, the sea is wise.’’ ‘’What does that even mean?’’ ‘’No idea! It’s that kind of
talk that got her killed.’’ I was sitting in the corner of
the bar, sipping my drink with my eyes down on the shabby table. I was here for
a business trip and was staying in one of the rooms. The whole place was rather
rundown but it was all I could get at such short notice. In contrast to its appearance,
the drinks were expensive. After a time and all of a
sudden, a woman comes over to me and asks: ‘’Do you mourn the dead?’ ‘’I think the dead mourn me.’’ ‘’Do you believe in angels?’’ ‘’Yes, I’m not sure if they believe in me though’’ ‘’I saw an angel once. It was
kissing a beast who lay dying. They were
obviously in love. But because the beast
was too heavy to carry, the angel
could not carry the beast to the next world and so they were unable to be together’’ ‘’Well, some things are out of
reach when you stretch too far’’ ‘’Everyone in here has
stretched too far. We drink because we mourn.’’ ‘’ And then mourn because you drink?’’ The woman did not answer and
went back to her seat. I downed my drink and went to the bar. I mentioned to the barman (lightly)
how expensive the drinks are. ‘’ I, being poor drink cheap
and sell rich’’ he said ‘’Drink rich and sell poor, I
say’’ ‘’I want big numbers. Not small
ones’’ ‘’The smallest
numbers have the biggest questions’’ ‘’Questions don’t pay the rent’’ ‘’ And the rent doesn’t pay the questions’’ ‘’Questions don’t need paying’’ ‘’They
do if you want the answers.’’ I ordered my drink and sat back
down. I sipped my drink and minded my
own business. Soon I began to hear some sort
of ruckus. It was coming from the other side of the bar. Two men were in one another’s
faces and like two angry cats hissed and showed teeth. One pushed the other and
a fight broke out. There were punches
thrown and teeth caught. They bore the beginning that remained unaware of itself
and being weak of sight, they were hard
of heart. ‘’With beasts the blunter the mind, the sharper the teeth’’
a woman said. ‘’Take it
outside’’ shouted the Barman And so, they did. The whole bar followed and
placed bets. They stood under the flickering street
lamp, their fists in position and their eyes locked on one another. The tension
between the two men and the excitement from the crowd filled the air. The first
punch was thrown and the crowd cheered. Blood was spilled and they struck each other with such force they were deprived of grace and each knocked the other out and fell to the floor. The two
men laid there under the flickering light, still as sleep
would allow. The crowd grew tired, groaned
with disappointment, and ventured back into the bar. I sat back down and sipped at
my drink. Then out of the window, I witnessed two angels trying to
pick up the two men. They tried and
tried to lift the two men but they were
too heavy. They put their arms under the men’s armpits and flapped their wings
as powerfully as they could but still, they could not lift them up. They looked at one another with
a sacred sadness, kissed the two men
upon their foreheads, and flew away. Then the light died
out and flickered no more. © 2022 Danny Metcalfe |
Stats
63 Views
1 Review Added on June 21, 2022 Last Updated on June 21, 2022 AuthorDanny MetcalfeUnited KingdomAboutI am a writer, poet and playwright. All works are first drafts. My favorite writers are: Arthur Rimbaud, William S Burroughs, Clarice Lispector, Robert Walser, Julio Cortazar, Mikhail Bulgakov,.. more..Writing
|