Friday, October 1, 2010

Blue Light Special

I forget when I first noticed it. It blinked. Blue.

Attached to a magnet, it was.

“Where did you get it?”

“At the dump. I don’t know what it is.”

It migrated. Different sides of the refrigerator, the microwave...

Sometimes I would see it through the wide kitchen windows when I drove into the driveway after dark.

Blinking.

He didn’t seem to care what it was, but I had to know. I’m funny that way.

It had a re-set button, a GE logo, and a brand name. I found it on the internet in 10 seconds.

It’s a reminder. To change a water filter. ‘Re-set’ shuts it off for 6 months.

Then it blinks again.

“What are you going to do with it?”

“Let it blink. See how long the battery lasts.” He’s funny that way.
-------------------------------------------

“The Blue Light Special is extinct.” he announced this morning.

“Oh.” I blinked. “I think I’ll miss it.”
.

2 comments:

Kent Parkstreet said...

He's not funny, he's male. We love things that do . . . stuff, doesn't really matter what stuff the thing does. And we are curious about . . . stuff, like how long a battery will last.
What's so funny about that?
I once had a possum in my roof, Australian possums are a little like squirrels, quite cut. It was annoying, banging around when I was trying to sleep. I cursed that possum. Then one night it wasn't there any more. I worried about my old friend, what had happened to him, was he o.k.?
People are funny.

Garnet said...

Your charming tale of the possum reminds me of a story I wrote a while ago- a similar account involving my husband and a mouse. I think I'll post it. It is entitled 'Closet Creature.'