television (3)

<television>

The sound of the audience created the illusion that I was not alone, but no one was watching me. I still could not sleep. Darkness never seem to arrive when I desired it. The television was a pathetic excuse for a remedy. 

As a child, the television gave me comfort. It was the centerpiece to my childhood bedroom. I could tell you the TV schedule every weekday from the time I got home from school to midnight. I rarely had to change the light bulbs in my room, the blue light from the television radiated in my dark room every night. 

As I grew older, however, I felt too tired to even turn it on. Instead, I would just leave my curtains opened and peer out into the world outside my room. Sometimes at night, I had a clear view of the moon. I would stare at it for hours, thinking about its size. How could something so big look so small? I found myself opening the curtains of the motel room.

 I searched for the moon, but I only saw my reflection in the cold darkness. 

 When I checked in the motel, the amateur concierge told me more about the town I was in. The diner where I was dropped off was one of the few restaurants in town. I never actually went inside the honest establishment, because daylight was fleeting and I needed a place to stay for the night. Walking around town I encountered a few landmarks.

In the town square was a statue of a man on a horse. Presumably a general of a forgotten war, the silhouette of his monument threatened an everlasting war between darkness and the light of a neighboring lamp post adorned with a banner with the town's name. 

I also passed the town's museum, which was closed by the time I got there. Instead of the brick facade all the other buildings had around the town square, the museum was constructed out of concrete. The visually smooth but rough texture gave it a look that made it stand out from the rest of the buildings. The entrance had large windows and doors made of glass. A great poster covered one of the windows, promoting a collection from an artist I never heard of.  

Continuing down the street, I ended up at the motel I am currently staying out, but my funds are running out, so my stay might be limited. This experience is not unique to this town. I have gone through this routine dozen of times. What is unique anymore but an abstract idea made up by the bored human? 

I need rest.