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ooooo ooooo .oooooo. oooooooooooo HOE E'ZINE RELEASE #595
`888' `888' d8P' `Y8b `888' `8
888 888 888 888 888 "Catatonia"
888ooooo888 888 888 888oooo8
888 888 888 888 888 " by AnonGirl
888 888 `88b d88' 888 o 4/24/99
o888o o888o `Y8bood8P' o888ooooood8
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Her eyes opened at eight thirty a.m. They were dry and burning as
she checked her watch. Eight thirty indeed. She'd fallen asleep at seven
a.m. She was still wearing her khaki polo shirt, blue jeans and running
shoes from the night before. The tweed upholstry of the couch felt like
it was grating away at her neck and arms. She could've used a pillow.
She felt sleepy again. She closed her eyes and heard someone walking
around the apartment. It was one of the two tennants, her friends, most
likely. She would pretend to be asleep, to avoid having to make small
talk with whoever it was walking around. She listened as he showered and
made his lunch for work. She heard him leave as she began to feel more
awake. How could she possibly feel awake? She'd slept an hour and a half.
She tried to force herself to sleep, but the scouring upholstry and awful
Peach Schnapps taste in her mouth were hindering her progress. She decided
to try the futon in the next room. Maybe it was easier to fall asleep on
that than this diabolical couch.
The sun blazed in on the futon. The curtains couldn't block out the
rays, which burned their presence onto her body. Lying in the scorching
sunlight, she decided to hide underneath the covers. This only baked her
more. Unsuccessful at falling asleep, she picked up an old issue of
'Details' and flipped through it. She checked her watch after reading a
few articles. Eight forty-nine. What seemed to be five hours was only
nineteen minutes. She fell back onto the bed too quickly, and the familiar
feel of nausea sank in. She knew she wasn't supposed to move around
hastily like that. She was to take slow, small actions. After another
five minutes of trying to sleep, she sat up slowly, upset at her failure.
She sluggishly went into the kitchen and poured some water. Perhaps it
would help her sleep, and rid her mouth of the intoxicating taste.
The cold water felt good, although it didn't help. She still felt
dazed and uneasy. She returned to the inferno bed and tried to sleep. The
alley outside of the window was making matters worse. The sound of the
city was invading her ears. She was ten stories up, but the noises
appeared to be within three feet of the futon. Every sound conceivable was
heard: footsteps of busy people walking through the alley, babies crying,
cars honking, dogs barking, music playing, people yelling. She hid her
head under the pillow, but the noises didn't stop and the heat was
unbearable. She quickly removed the pillow from her head. She laid there,
staring at the off-white cieling, pondering whether she'd ever sleep again.
She began to feel drowsy. Her eyes were beginning to feel heavy, and that
wonderful sensation of repose was slowly taking over, just as the telephone
rang. Her entire body jerked as the loud ringing sound blared in her ears.
As soon as the ringing stopped, the jackhammer started, as if every other
thinkable sound wasn't enough. Each thrust felt like a mallet pounding on
her skull at full force. It was almost as though it was operating in slow
motion. In the midst of all these noises, she could hear the first
movement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata playing somewhere. She couldn't
tell if it was real or in her head.
She wouldn't sleep soon. The futon itself felt as hard as a rock.
She figured trying the second futon in the other room was her final hope.
She gradually made it into the next bedroom, which was noticeably darker.
Her nausea grew as she plunked onto the futon. It was much more
comfortable than the other. Sleep was within reach. She was still wide
awake when the phone rang again. She began blocking out all sound. The
jackhammer had finally ceased. She was soon reminded of the small, gray
kitten living in the apartment when it jumped on her face. Instead of
having some sort of reaction, she laid there, motionless. She didn't have
the energy to remove it. She was catatonic. The young cat jumped off of
her face and began darting all over the bed. She wanted to play with the
cat, but refused, out of spite. She wasn't going to let this creature
interfere with her attempt at sleeping, no matter how lovable and charming
it was.
She checked her watch. One p.m. The noises were louder than ever.
The kitten was becoming more rambunctious as the time passed. The heat was
intolerable. She was far past the stage of delerium. She laughed at the
windows and talked to the walls, which would answer her on occasion. The
nausea she felt was overwhelming, but she managed not to throw up all
morning.
The phone rang again. It rang endlessly, at least thirty times.
She couldn't take much more, and slowly picked up the receiver.
"Hello?" she said in a lethargic tone.
"Christ jesus, I've been trying to call you forever! What the fuck?
Don't you pick up the phone when it rings?" the voice yelled. She held
the receiver away from her ear until the person stopped speaking.
"Who is this?" she asked.
"It's me, retard!" the person replied. She soon recognized the
voice of a friend.
"I don't live here, Erica. I don't answer phones in places where I
don't live," she replied.
"I let it ring a hundred times! Anyway, I'm downstairs. Come down,
I'm here with Cameron. We're waiting for you." It was one forty-five.
She couldn't comprehend what her friend was saying.
"What? Who? What's going on? Downstairs?" she said, confused.
"Get off your fucking lazy ass and come downstairs. We're waiting
for you!"
"Ergh. I can't. I'm so tired, Erica." She slurred her words.
"I don't give a shit. We've been waiting here for ten minutes!
Get up!"
"Alright, I'll be down in ten minutes. But don't fucking blame me
if I fucking puke all over your fucking face," she said, angrily.
"Whoa there, tiger. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed!
Why are you so bitchy?"
"I've forgotten how to sleep, and I feel like I'm going to die.
And puke."
"You're such an alcoholic. Now get the fuck up!"
"Fuck you. I'll be down in ten."
"Ciao-a-tutti!"
"Die." She hung up the phone. She reluctantly got up, brushed her
teeth and headed downstairs to meet her friends. The Moonlight Sonata
continued, but luckily it went unnoticed.
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[ (c) !LA HOE REVOLUCION PRESS! HOE #595 - WRITTEN BY: ANONGIRL - 4/24/99 ]