Decline and Fall of Alternative Civilization

  ~ ~ ~

  She had not heard a phone ring in months.

  Yes, she croaked, she knew when checkout time was.

  She was very tired, she implored, she could use more rest.

  No, she answered, she wouldn't mind paying for an extra day.

  Yes, she assured, she would come to the office shortly to take care of it.

  Dragging herself from the room, she squinted into the bright, hazy daylight. A barefoot walk downstairs, all was taken care of and she stumbled back up to her darkened cave.

  Mmmmm, she moaned. Now she could resume sleeping.

  Waking in mid-afternoon, there was no reason to rush out of bed for anything. She was fine to lie there and stare at the ceiling, at the light leaking from the edges of the curtain. Freedom. Reluctance to rejoin the world. JHH, the B-17, the seventh Cobra, the moon, Doug, Dedra, Bryan, Prez, the band, everything. Outside heard the flickings, the rackings and crackings of humanity. The sounds of life went on forever and bounced against solid surfaces as well as against thin voids and, in the end, bounced back into nothingness.

  Nothing.

  ?Silencio!

  June yawned and rolled over, digging herself deeper into the bedding, and laughed.

  She laughed.