Student accommodation reaches mythical heights in this short story by Abigail Nash.
Her room includes spacious corner units sporting fine dining choices like baked beans in a can. On a student’s part-time wage only the best will do.
One corner contains the feared devil. A pile of washing so vast in width breadth and height the smell alone will repel most potential visitors. Always avoid attempting to climb the Herculean heights of dirty washing mountain to reach the perilous summit –some phenomena are better left alone.
Every mountain affords a shadow and in her room as the evening sun disappears, the fading light captures the valley of the research notes. Scattered generously the entire floor takes on the image of a white paper pasture.
The soft bed and cluttered desk includes the flora and fauna of both mould and dust mite.
Long nights completing assignments has meant dinners at her desk, resulting in plates containing congealed bacteria and uncomfortable scratchy crumbs in her bed.
Chi energy flows through her balanced bedroom as the wind of good fortune blows through the pasture of notes.
The yin and yang dual screens at left and right portray the faces of her wise master on Zoom, and the visage of Jerry Seinfeld to the left on television. Both complement each other, lighting her dim cavernous room with diverse cultural wisdom.
Her toe idly carves a river in the sand garden of crumbs at her feet. If she is to achieve true enlightenment, she must concentrate only on achieving a high distinction, and not waste time on frivolous matters like cleaning.
Abigail Nash is an editor for W’sup and has worked on the web site since 2017 and the print edition for 2018 and 2019. As a postgraduate student and mother of four she enjoys writing and research particularly in the area of Science education.
