Wail

I had a weird thought the other night... I was having trouble falling asleep again. I was feeling alone. I lied on my back, sheet pulled up to my chin as I stared at the swirls in the paint on the ceiling. And then I heard it. A soft wail faraway. An ambulance was charging down a nearby street. It... calmed me. It made me feel not so alone as morbid as that is. I live in a really huge city (population: approximately 2 million) so hearing a police siren isn't uncommon. I guess we can blame this on nurture.

I have family that lives in a drastically smaller town (population: approximately 55,000) and when I go to visit there... it's so quiet. It's almost unsettling how little noise there is, especially at night. Most of the stores and restaurants close around 8 p.m. I think sometimes I have an even harder time falling asleep. Siren wails make me realize that there's still civilization out there. I'm not completely alone in the dark. There are still people out there living their lives.

~C.M.