mmmcmviii

Humdrum Bob

Click
double-
click goes
the fan as it
turns. Every
fifteen seconds
it does this. Then
there’s the whir of
the blade itself. A
hmmmmmmmmmnn
sort of sound that Bob
calls his white noise.
His phone dings once
in a while. A ting that
hangs in the air in a bit
of a metallic way, usually
followed about a minute
later with another ting – 

only that’s a notification 

for the same thing as 

the first ting. Bob does

not have any friends, 

but he’s set up an alert 

or two. When there’s
local news of a bank
robbery, for example.
Or when there’s any
news on the members
of Abba. Or Fleetwood
Mac. Turns out lately
that those tings are
mostly about death.
Death is not Bob’s
favorite subject.
Click double-click
goes the fan as it
turns. Every
fifteen seconds.