Oh, sweet, sweet respite!

To hear silence, after the violent, endless cacophony that is the security alarm from the liquor store down the street sounded ceaselessly over the course of four whole cigarettes. Living in the Bronx, I am perfectly well-acquainted with the din of city life. I find comfort in the familiar sounds of sirens and shouts at all hours of the night. When this wretched alarm first went off, I embraced it for what it was and continued about my business (i.e. getting blazed as ****). After a few minutes, however, I began to realize the demon’s true intentions. This was no innocent Noise of the Night— it drilled its piercing, high-pitched shriek rhythmically into my head over and over and over again, each note chipping away another chunk of my brain with its rusted ice pick. I could feel myself becoming less and less as this terrible magic consumed me. Cecilia and Mary were silent, not even flinching as they slept through my torment. I felt my brain pulsating violently inside my skull, perfectly in sync with the devilish racket. And just when I was convinced that the torture would never end— silence. That’s all. It’s over.