On Bermuda Shorts Day 1993 the guy who sat behind me in English class told me he was shrinking. It was the first time he had spoken to me the whole semester, and this was the last day of class. The professor had scheduled an exam for that day, which wasn't very sporting of her in my opinion, but was her prerogative. I suppose she figured if we decided to come to class under the influence it wasn't her problem. Maybe she didn't know that you were supposed to spend Bermuda Shorts Day in the beer garden.
I didn't go to the beer garden until after that exam, but the guy who sat behind me in English must have spent his morning differently than I had. He wasn't just drunk, he was on something that was giving him the sensation of shrinking and when I pulled out my chair to sit down he said to me very plaintively, Can you help? I'm shrinking.
I sort of thought he was joking but when I looked him in the eye I could see that he was actually a bit frightened. I said, I don't think you are. He said I am, I'm shrinking, and held out his hand to show me. His hand was trembling and I felt very sorry for him because I knew he wasn't going to do well on his exam and he needed someone to hold him steady so he wouldn't get any smaller. And then the professor told us to take our seats so I couldn't say anything reassuring.
Even without hallucinogenics I think I know what he meant. I have that feeling sometimes too, that I am dissolving away and might entirely disappear. I might become so small no one can see me.
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7 comments:
I think I've disappeared already.
I can see you.
Wow, poor guy! Makes me think of a song I like: "And now I watch you fall, twisting, turning, growing small."
I have a hard time with this. I figure shrinking folks become less and less important until they are forgotten. But you, my dear, are becoming more and more important. A giant you are bound to become!
Nice lyrics, secret agent.
Jerry, this is what happened. I was out jogging tonight and I had my cell phone with me and... dammit this is a long story. I'll need a bigger box.
That's not shrinking! That's scrinching, so you can fit inside my belly button. You know, like sometimes I scrinch so I can sleep in your ear.
And what do you whisper in my ear?
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