Shrink Me

The world goes round. Yet, at times, I feel like it has stopped. When I'm all alone I listen to the sound of quiet. The sound you only hear at one in the morning. I hear the rain putter pattering delicately upon my window, I hear the sound of cars whizzing softly, yet swiftly down the road. I close my eyes. The earth has stopped. Life is paralyzed. Sometimes I think someone else in the world can hear it too.

"Hear what?", the woman looks down at me, her spectacles at the tip of her nose.

"The earth stopping", I say barely looking up at her, then putting my head back down.

"What does this sound like?", She asks leaning toward me; trying to look underneath my half closed eyelids.

"Nothing", I reply "It's just quiet". She wants to laugh, but she tries to spare my feelings, and suppresses the giggle with a queasy smile. The smile is full of pride, and her chest is full of crumbs.

"So how often do you sit and listen to this..nothing?" She asks leaning back, and attempting to regain composure.

"Everyday", I say softly, but this time I look into her eyes, and hold my intense gaze for quite some time. She begins to look nervous; shifting her eyes away, and ruffling about her files.

"I think this is all we need for today", she says as she clears her throat, and looks at her watch.

I find it hard to believe she actually gained something today. I find it even harder to believe that my mom is paying her 50 dollars an hour to do this. Sometimes I view my day as an episode on a sitcom, or a chapter in a book. What will happen on the next episode? I have no idea.