A Bad Day for Platelets

A piece I submitted to Crawlspace magazine, on MySpace.

 

                They say the only way to escape these cells is death. I couldn’t believe them less. I was one of them. Just a tiny little b*****d in a sea of other tiny little b******s. I knew it. I wasn’t blind. And yet this human, that I am seamlessly a part of, doesn’t know I exist. No! You’re not self-existent you ignorant coffee-ingesting, newspaper-reading, sex-having jerkoff. My life here would be so simple if he just understood how I felt. Maybe it’s best that I go into this – just so you can see what I’m getting at.

                Yesterday, I was on my way to the lower left ventricle of the big guy. We only call him ‘the big guy’ because he’s much bigger than us. He considered himself the greatest muscle in the body. No one believed him. He was one of those self-proud people you meet when you go to the gym, or something like that. Anyway, I was coming to that stint on 2^nd and first, and there was a jam. A freaking cell jam – can you believe that crap? The platelets decided they were going to hold traffic up for a little while. That, or the hematoma were protesting again.

                So, I got out of line. I got a bit tired of waiting after a few minutes. Strangely enough Joe was there, too. Joe knew everything. He was the town crier – that is if there was actually one in existence here. No one in Leftlegg liked him. I could tell you a few stories about him being at town hall meetings that would make you cringe when you heard it.

                I asked him, “Hey man. How you been?” I was a bit curious after all. He went on vacation to Leftbrane for a couple weeks. Certainly he knew what was going on there, too.

                “I been awright.” He had that neutral smirk on his face. I knew he was talking to the platelets.

                “Yeah? So, look…what’s going on here?”

                “Looks like two nuclei were forming new chromatids, and had a head-on.”

                “Sad,” and I sighed to give him that false sense that I actually cared. I’m tired of it. They’re always forming chromatids.  From the time they wake up, until they go asleep. I knew this one guy, Leo. His kids were always begging him for a little bit of oxygen when he’d get home from work. Then came his classic excuse – Sorry boys, don’t have enough for ya tonight.

                I decided to ditch Joe, and go talk to the platelets. “Hey. Hey, you.”

                He looked away, but I kept walking toward him. “Excuse me. ‘Scuse me, sir.”

                “What can I do for you? You ought to get back in line over there, pal.”

                “How long does it really take to get these guys out of the way? It’s not like they deserve the sending-off of the Waters, here.”

                “It’s gonna be a while, buddy. You don’t like it, make a right up there just a ways. It’ll take you out onto 275. That leads down around the Jenit Dalia, and away from town here.”

                “I’m headed for the big guy, though. Isn’t there any way I can get up there?”

                “Sorry. Not today, buddy. Now hit the road, or I’ll have to split ya.”

                Tired of his sorry attitude, I decided to head around Jenit Dalia. I couldn’t stand taking this route. My old roommate and girlfriend used to live out that way. She lived on this nice little country road called Arderry. All this, and it was a dry road. It was difficult for me to get around. I have this condition called ‘hydrophilia.’ My skin doesn’t hold up against that kind of crap.

                With a, “d****t,” I threw myself around the traffic.

                After about 10 minutes on the highway, I came to a dead end. It was the Great Tunnel. It was this body’s largest flow-away that anyone knew of. Of course, they only heard of it. Anytime anyone got even close to this thing, it would suck them away, never to be found again.

                Enjoying the scenery, red sky, and a few others passing along with me, I began to feel a current. It was nice at first.  Nice in the way that you enjoy a bitter coffee after a really sweet desert. Whistling to the tune of ‘L.O.V.E’ by Sinatra, I laid back and stared at the Great Light to the north.

                Then things started to get a bit more hectic. I couldn’t control myself anymore. “What’s going on here? Somebody help! What the hell is this?!” I knew in the back of my mind, however, exactly what it was. That great flow that I’ve heard of too many times before I was now experiencing for myself. Quicker and quicker, larger and larger, the great flow was coming at me. No, wait. I was flowing after it.

                “D****t! Help me! Help!”

                “It’s alright! Hold on just a bit longer! We’re coming!”

                Then I realized who it was. It was that platelet I saw before. I recognized that voice. That voice that was so damn annoying earlier I found was the voice of an angel coming to save me! Ah, nevermind – still annoying.

                I felt a foam ring come around me. “It’s alright, man! We got you!”

                They pulled me up, and I made it to the surface again. But where were they? There they were!

                There they had gone, really. I only saw tiny dots. Two tiny figures who dared to save my life, and would lose their own.

                How sad. Those damn platelets who couldn’t work fast enough to get those nuclei off the veinway, were gone now. I watched as the last of them disappeared into the sea.

Author's Note

Looking for serious criticism. Give me what you've got.

Reviews

[Catrinka]

I really really liked reading this piece! Very creative, a great perspective - a highly enjoyable read. Gave me a good feel for the unspoken drama that goes on inside of us unawares -
Little typo, perhaps, first line of the 2nd paragraph? on my way instead of only my way?