The Worcester Art Museum at the End of the World

end

She touches the outside of my arm, between elbow and wrist. For some reason, It reminds me of the Worcester art museum. (Worcester was a city–is a city–in Massachusetts about twenty miles from where I grew up.) I went there once when I was six.

“You’re awake?”

“Mhm.”

“No you’re not.”

“I am. What?”

She moves her hand. “What do you mean, what?”

I roll over. “Nothing, I mean, what’s up?”

“I had a bad dream.”

I try to open my eyes, one is stuck closed with wine, the other, vodka. My head hurts. Wine is weaker. I peer out at her.

“What happened?”

“It was the end of the world!” she tells me, serious.

I get the other eye open. “Oh? Zombie end of the world or Nuclear end of the world?”

“Neither. I was just in my apartment, waiting to die. And, well, I knew the world would end in ten minutes. Then I would die. Everyone would die.”

“Did everyone die, then?”

She shakes her head. “No. Of course not.”

“No?”

“No, that would be too easy. I just waited.”

“For ten minutes?”

“Forever!”

I put my arm around her, close my eyes. She throws it off. I can’t shrug, so I roll over instead. She slides down close, next to me. She puts her arm on the outside of my arm.

“It was horrible,” she whispers, sleepy.

I try to nod, but I’m already asleep; walking through the Worcester art museum, waiting for the end of the world.

 

20 replies to “The Worcester Art Museum at the End of the World”

      1. OK. I read it again …. it is easy, but it still resonates a bit of bitterness. Somehow it reminds me of a scene from “pulp fiction.” And then I forget to look at the illustration again and again, which are becoming ever more colorful. I like it! … hmmm, blind? Eyes, long neck and no mouth …

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      2. Well its important to remember that the illustrations are inspired by my stories. I guess you could see them as Nikita’s interpretation of the story. Or whatever grabs him in it. And he knows my work best so the illustrations will sometimes show things even I didn’t think of.

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      3. hahaha.. this is perfect teamwork! O.K., so I would interprete the illustration like the three mystic apes. And a extra Bonus for the long neck….perhaps,for not sinking….have a good night and thanks Flash!

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      5. OK. I read it again …. it is easy, but it still resonates a bit bit bitterness. Somehow it reminds me of a scene from pulp fiction. And then I forget to look at the illustration again and again, which are becoming ever more colorful. I like it! … hmmm, blind? Eyes, long neck and no mouth …

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  3. I think it’s nice, when waking from a dream about the end of the world, to have a warm arm to touch. It makes the bed reassuring, like it’s really there.

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      2. ohhh, don´t worry, i´ll stop with this…hahaha…I´ll concentrate more on the story now, and not on the illustration ( although, they are very interessting)…so I agree absolut with couriosheart, lovable story

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