Cuss

A single light flickered in a dark room. Drips from a silver faucet steadily plopped into the shallow pool of water by the closed drain. The slight emission of bathwater racked the pipes with a muffled hiss, which echoed through the room. The massive basin was on the verge of overflowing. Water then crept over the beige porcelain edge. Dark liquid spewed in light showers onto the indented floor. The spillage diverged along the many canals between each slab of tiling. The streams converged at the sole of my shoe, protruding holes on either side and coating heel and toe in lukewarm essence. Shards of shattered glass lay strewn adjacent to a sink now half filled with seepage. Acicular remains of medicine cabinet mirror reflected a demented counter-image of my blank stare back through me.

An uneasy feeling lingered in my bones and there was a wetness to my calf. Medium-hard pressure playfully pried into my eyes. The light gradually dimmed, while the frequency of the flashes remained consistently erratic. The wallpaper above the side tiling, once white, was molded in spots from a moss to myrtle green. This corrosive infection fragmented the paint and left a spore-like mist with a musky smell to hang deftly in the air. The rancid smell, once inexistent suddenly became unavoidable. It flared inside my nostrils. My jaw muscles tightened to a vice-like hold. Both cusped from each row of teeth dug deep into my tender inner lip. I felt dizzy. My eyes peered sporadically around the room. The walls began to delicately pulsate. The water filled just above the knees. My mind as stray as the tide. The light went out.

 Everything was quiet…until I took a breath.