Three

Am I going insane?

All day I heard a little girl wailing. I kept peeping through the window and opening the front door to see where she was, but whenever I did the wailing would stop. The narrow street quiescent.

Buster returned this afternoon. He’s a stray dog that wandered on our yard a few weeks ago and socialized with Roxy. Today, however, he met me with startled eyes and slight contempt. I offered him water as I did during his previous visit and he declined, refusing to come near me, ignoring his adopted name and running off into the yard of another.

I fell asleep while watching a film in my bedroom. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. In my sleep I heard the sound of rainfall, and in real life awoke to the sound of thunder. Yet, Roxy feared not, and the rain had stopped. How the mind plays tricks and tells jokes.

Later on I heard the sound of music nearby. It must be my neighbors partying again, I thought. Then the wailing girl returned only this time accompanied by the sound of fireworks. I peeped out the window and saw nothing. No girl, no rain, no lights in the sky. Were they fireworks or gunshots? Why is the little girl wailing?

Then mother called and asked what I was doing tonight. I told her the same thing I’ve done for the last four—stay cooped up inside waiting for clarity. Sitting around wondering how things used to be, feeling like I’m going under, while my life slowly becomes harder to see.

So, tell me, people,

Am I going insane?