the siren song of the killers cover band
today my partner and i decided to go for a long walk in the suburbs. not to go 50s housewife on you all, but i love the suburbs. i love hearing the birds chirping and kids playing in the streets. we like guessing house valuations as we walk past too, trying to weigh the life decisions that could accommodate such a lifestyle. we walked through parks and into dead ends, along quaint little streets paved with cobblestone, beside lawns containing every kind of flower you could imagine.
it was golden hour as we crossed the bridge over the green valley. there seemed to be countless children in this neighborhood, all traveling in groups, seemingly coming from school or extracurriculars in droves. odd, we thought, and thatās when we heard it: jealousy, turning saints into the sea, swimming through sick lullabies, choking on your alibiā¦ a strong voice carried the unmistakable lyrics of mr. brightside, seemingly from everywhere at once. who would sing so loud in such an otherwise peaceful place?
no matter where we went, we heard the powerful voice carry across the houses. are we human, or are we dancer? my signs are vital, my hands are coldā¦ we walked for hours but the siren song got neither louder nor quieter. he doesnāt look a thing like jesus, but talks like a gentlemanā¦ we crossed yet another bridge over a valley as some boys came wheeling their bikes towards us. ābet your butt you donāt have a pen.ā one said to the other, and they both laughed. (sometimes the most offhanded remark from a kid can restore your faith that humanityās going to be ok in their hands.)
the sun had set and dusk was settling in when we saw a row of pylons along a street. as we followed, the sonorous voice got louder and louder. could this be it? we rounded the corner and we sawā¦ the neighborhood fair! of course!
where we come from, nobody really threw fairs like this. deep in this enclave, in a wide open park far from any major streets, the fine folks here had set up all the essential fair rides (fun house, merry-go-round, drop tower, you name it, they had it) with four or five different drink stalls for the adults and, yes, a pretty decent killers cover band. there was even a thrift shop! it felt like stardew valley, the way the whole community seemed to be at this fair.
by the time we walked back home, weād walked for three whole hours. we were exhausted but content. that neighborhood seemed to be a faraway quaint parallel universe now. we plopped down on the couch with our dinner. my smart watch cheerfully buzzed me, youāre almost at your activity goal! a 13 minute brisk walk should get you there. no, dear watch, not today. today i am at peace.