Cracked Window

Not fully grasping an intriguing story appeals to me. Take Lisa Barcy’s arresting animation and Andrew Bird’s somber yet whimsical song “Lull” that accompanies it (click the image). The story instantly captured me. With each viewing, I see more in the drawings, hear more in the sounds, comprehend more meaning in this odd, fanciful tale.

I’ll be mulling it over for a long time, filling in gaps and creating a back story in my head. (Update: Turns out that the video is adapted from Barcy’s much longer Mermaid, which no doubt would fill in some of my gaps.)

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At the gym today, I saw the ghost of me.

His image materialized six feet in front of me on the window overlooking the squash courts. I was striding in place on an elliptical machine. Cast in shades of gray, he appeared to occupy a space between two worlds, mine and one of shadows. He bounced up and down, a reflection methodically running toward me but getting no closer.

He looked maybe 15 years older. An old bald man well into decline but trim and relentless. I was thankful I couldn’t see his eyes, only darkness. The more I stared the more familiar the image became. My oxygen-deprived brain was perceiving signals heretofore beyond range. I was watching a broadcast of what will become of me. The soundless, subliminal message was clear: “I’m coming for you.”

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