I WASN’T ME ANYMORE 

This day started just as had many other days. Not bright, not dull, just one of the ordinary days which blend into a gray pattern and seep from the active memory. I awoke with the usual tired feeling and made the usual vow to get more sleep. I drove to work and immediately got caught up in the daily routine. It seemed that in practically no time at all I was ready to go home and to go out on my weekly Friday night shopping binge. Soon I wandered haphazardly through the mall as I had done so many other times, picking, pricing, and buying things most of which I really didn’t need. Several hours later I went out to my car and started home. I drove the road I had driven over so many times before, same hills, same curves, same everything. Everything, except that this time, I did not make a curve. It is as simple as that. I did not make a curve. Too late, I became alert. Too late, I realized my error. The next thing I knew, I was awakening in total deep, dark blackness----unable to move---unable to cry out---feeling nothing----no pain---just numbness. A terrifying steady numbness. There was a complete unearthly silence. It was as though I had plunged into another world and I wasn’t me any more. I guess I passed out for when I came to, I heard my car radio shattering the silence of the night. In between periods of darkness I was forced to listen to P. Diddy rapping and a lengthy commercial on the many virtues of a new Cadillac and a stern voice telling me to drive safely for the life I save may be my own. Passing motorists stopped and phoned for help. They were eager to tell each other what a horrific sight this one is. I couldn’t help thinking of the time I had seen a wreck and felt the irresistible magnetism that drew me close to see the covered body. Quickly, the police and ambulance arrived, but it was too late, I was dead.

Raymond Morrow