4

The smell of cinnamon filled her nostrils like a clarion call to her senses, calling her to comfort. To another time, past this nauseating reality.

Of all creatures that breathe and move upon the earth, nothing is bred that is weaker than man.

All around her lay the dead bodies of the people that she once knew. Linda from I.T., Bob from accounting, Terry her boss. A blue bird sat on Linda’s arm.

The building rubble was pressing down on her, her wits were still hers, she knew exactly what was going on, but there was an awful lot of light all around. Like open windows.

Of all creatures that breathe and move upon the earth, nothing is bred that is weaker than man.

Bob was trying to say something. She saw Bob’s mouth open. She saw Bob try to whisper something. Bob didn’t say anything.

“see Bob run,” Her little girl said in another world. “See Bob type. See Bob look through the window. See Bob and Sally. See Bob read. See Bob fall. See Bob bleed. See Bob whisper. See Bob die

Of all creatures that breathe and move upon the earth, nothing is bred that is weaker than man.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep,” her pastor said, his voice bellowing. “and the spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light, blinding, shining through the window screaming with the violence of a thousand birds, or one metal bird, and suddenly the the noise was real, and not screaming but crashing and falling and pain.

Of all creatures that breathe and move upon the earth, nothing is bred that is weaker than man.

“Amy,” Bob told her, holding her hands before the priest. “I take you to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward until you watch as the last of my life dribbles from my lips in a steady stream of blood as red as the blood that has beaten through my heart every moment of my life, for you and only you, Amy

Her hand reached for Bob’s, but he was just out of reach. His words faded away, his whispers lost in a gurgle of blood.

Of all creatures that breathe and move upon the earth, nothing is bred that is weaker than man.

 

(Original above. Credit must be given to Homer for: ‘Of all creatures that breathe and move upon the earth, nothing is bred that is weaker than man.’ it comes from the Odyssey.)