Way Past College

The flashing signal light on the wing of the plane kept her awake throughout the flight. She would just catch it in the corner of her and with every pulse of light she tensed up thinking she’d seen a lightning bolt crash directly into the ground below. Her ears had gotten to the point where everyone’s voice sounded as if they were speaking over a radio at a distance and despite the gum she was chewing they hurt, deeply hurt. She tried to read since her first choice of sleeping wasn’t an option but she couldn’t focus. Things had not gone as she had hoped and now she was flying home and the thought of being home again made her swallow hard and grind her teeth. Looking out the window she saw the light from the small cities that have surrounded her all her life. They reminded her of molten rivers seeping up through the darkness, she could feel their heat.