The Person and the Fly

The Person and the Fly

Within the darkness of a city in slumber, one individual had only recently entered the warm embrace of his bed. Enshrouded in a cloak of comfort and serenity, he hovered within the limbo that served as a doorway between consciousness and the peaceful state of tranquillity known as sleep.

Rolling over, he buried his head into the cushion and was engulfed in blackness, as his awareness drifted away from the body embedded in reality.

Bzzz. Bzzz.

A lone fly vigorously called out to the Person, violently ripping him from a sleepy paradise towards a faint and blurry drowsiness.

Bzzz.

The Person’s eyelids reluctantly lifted, threatening to fall shut beneath their own weight. He turned to his side, covering his head with a thick blanket.

Bzzz. The Person ignored the Fly’s call, remaining motionless in his bed.
Bzzz. The Fly was persistent in her beckoning, desperate to defeat the opponent in a territorial battle of patience. The Person, frustrated at this unexpected disruption, attempted to return to the depths of sleep, denying the existence of the Fly.
Bzzz. This time, the Person’s eyelids snapped wide open, and he groggily trudged out of bed and towards the light switch. As he got up, a throbbing pain assailed his toe, which had just been stubbed on a chair blocking his path.

The Person hobbled the remaining few steps and turned on the light, almost blinding himself in a sacrifice to find the Fly. A brief survey of the room revealed no presence other than his own. He stood immobile…listening, watching, waiting.

Silence.

The Person smiled at the blissful sleep awaiting him. Turning off the light, he strolled back to his bed, where he was absorbed in comfort once more.

Bzzz. Bzzz.

This was the final straw. Frenzied, the Person threw his blanket into a tangled heap on the floor, retrieved a spray can that would assure the Fly’s doom, and turned on the light.

Silence. Again.

The Person sat down on the chair, watching the minutes go by. Ten…twenty…thirty minutes went past, without a single sound. Doubtfully, the Person returned to his bed, knowing all too well what would await him. Sure enough, as soon as he had settled in, the familiar and relentless buzzing of the Fly returned to haunt him.

Bzzz. Bzzz.

The final calls of victory from the Fly. She had won the battle. The Person picked up the mattress and stomped out into an adjoining room. He was retreating, surrendering this vast and endless space to the Fly. The Fly flapped her wings, triumphant. Already restless in the vacant area, the Fly disappeared through the open doorway where the gentle sounds of the Person’s breathing could be heard, deep in slumber.

Bzzz.