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Calibration 74: Chapter Twenty-Six
Calibration 74 is a serial novel experiment, posted raw and unedited as it is written. It is recommended you start at the beginning.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Under cover of night, I returned. The light from Carla’s television cast dancing silhouettes against the drawn curtain of her home, and it wasn’t until 9:47 p.m. that the light in the right front upstairs window turned on. From my station on the sidewalk opposite 1950 Parapet Way, I watched the cherry-blossom pink walls of the room illuminate, harshly at first … then six minutes and fourteen seconds later, dim to a warm glow.
I imagined Carla reading a bedtime story, her little puppet’s eyes dancing across the pages as Mother decoded the strange symbols on the page into words. Pretty pictures paired with the comforting tone of the voice she’d known farther back than her memory could ever comprehend. A bunny perhaps. A magical cat. Or maybe a curious little monkey.
At 9:59 the light in the pink room went out, but no other lights followed.
I imagined Carla asleep in the rocking chair, close enough to her daughter’s crib to scoop her up in an instant and flare her teeth in a ferocious mama bear smile should any intruder dare threaten their peaceful kingdom.
