10 September 2020

Noir night; Left hanging

 





One of the last things Jörn quickly mentions, as an afterthought, on his way out, is that there is a delivery coming in the morning and that I should watch the monitors for when the semi arrives downstairs. 


But this does not fully register with me. 


And only later, do I remember that he said this. Hours later, while I am still in the dungeon basement, sitting in the cage by the computers, staring at the mostly pitch dark monitors and playing with the remote control buttons watching the monitors, not exactly knowing why. 


Only that it was my job to let Jörn know when I saw a train pass on one of the monitors at around 1:30AM.... which I did —after staring at what looked like a blank screen for an hour after he left 


and then after the train passed.... it was even more hours followed of having to mind numbing-ly stare at all the blank screens— not knowing why....


and not even thinking to question anything.... 


and why?


Maybe it’s just a lot to process.... and find I welcome this opportunity of distraction to not have to resort to fill the time with the wasteland of social media as I want to avoid any and all access to news with their highlights of misery, catastrophes, violence and politics


while considering that this spot right here could work nicely as a bomb shelter, I find myself thinking as I look around



.... and maybe I am slightly shell shocked about it all.... the pantry wall, the rubber jumpsuit, the platinum locket and confusing note....  overthinking the meaning of the riddle— what does it mean? .... I am in a fuzzy, bleary state


From the monitors I was able to watch him leave. He did not go back through the stairwell from before; instead he chose to go down on the conveyor belt, saying I should  go that way too if I needed to in case the delivery person has trouble with the keypad code downstairs in the morning 


and I did assure him I would personally like to avoid bats right now. Again, it hardly registered with me.... as even odd .... my mind still trying to understand his words


I mean— it is not as if I should think there was anything strange about watching him climb on a conveyor belt — right? too busy trying to read meanings in his words .... as I watch dully from the monitors and in a daze I see him put on a helmet (no wonder his hair was matted) and ride off on a motorcycle .... a motorcycle? Where did that come from....? it vaguely occurs to me to wonder. I think, hmmm.... no wonder he didn’t need the car.... oh, maybe the rubber jumpsuit makes perfect sense now, I guess....


however it still remains unclear to me where the stairs lead to


and the conveyor belt.... as the monitor I watched him leave from on the motorcycle was hard to clearly see much in the dark


****


But at around three-thirty AM I discover I accidentally have fallen asleep when something crashes and shocks me awake. I must have leaned on a glass as it rolled off and broke in a very, very loud pop sound, like an explosion, which caused me to jump —and now there is glass everywhere, which is not the best situation half asleep 


caught in a maze of broken glass and no idea where there may be any kind of dust bin or broom or.... anything, I reach for a box and start collecting the pieces but 



something on the monitor catches my eye and I see Jörn dangling from a helicopter —dangling! which is the moment I cut myself —but I only realize it in a split sense— because it is incomprehensible why I see blood everywhere or that I’m dripping—because I am watching Jörn on the screen as he hangs from a helicopter .... but glance quick to another screen as something there moves and catches my eye as I see a cargo ship?! —heading towards the bridge .... where I watch the train head over the railroad tracks — the same railroad tracks that I had previously stared at for hours before ..... which has been where the camera has been focused all night .... and now there’s a train ....and why am I’m covered in blood? as I stand there frozen


What is he doing?


At this point I try using the close up button not even realizing I’m smearing blood everywhere. But it’s too dark to understand what is happening! And things are happening everywhere in all the monitors! — that I don’t know which one I should be looking at


It seems like hours as I watch what he is doing.... but realistically it must have all happened in about twenty minutes.... maybe twenty-five.... 


there’s something that drops from the cargo train onto the tracks.... then it seems he ties it or—somehow attaches it to the rope from the helicopter .... and then....


what happens? 


The cameras go blank for awhile! 


What just happened?


I must have hit a button..... it takes awhile before everything comes back.....


But all I see is the cargo ship disappearing and nothing!


Nothing .... there’s nothing at all.... all the screens go back to how they were before .... just pitch, dark camera views that are only vaguely discernible as the railroad tracks, the water and blank spaces.... meanwhile I am searching the water wondering .... fearing.... the worst thoughts


I sit there waiting wondering if I should try calling Jörn’s phone but afraid to. If he is unable to answer because he’s hanging from a rope I wouldn’t want to make him try and answer the phone


So I wait staring at the screen wondering what the fuck I just witnessed .... and start pacing inside the cage .... 


give it five minutes and call? Or.... 




No comments: