It was the sound of my ring tone that woke me up to the realisation that I wasn't in my comfy bed, but rather, in a paddock flanked on all sides by apartment blocks. Rolling over, I saw down the right hand side of my polo dry blood. My jaw was sore when I clenched my teeth, I could feel loose teeth waiting to be pulled. The ring tone continued to play out. I must have chosen one of the most annoying pop songs around. I couldn't even fathom what I might have been thinking- I switched off the phone & threw it into an open pizza box, containing the remanets of last night's tea, I gathered. The left overs were covered by ants & other bugs, feasting on last night's ruin. Slowly I made my way to the nearest bus stop, rearranging myself to look as best as I could. By the time I made it to the central interchange, I figured out what day it was. It was Monday. I called in sick & made an appointment for a dentist.
One half of the wall opposite the dentist chair was a window overlooking the city skyscrapers & offices. The instruments gleamed in the afternoon sun, it still didn't take my mind off the forceps in my mouth- twisting & yanking out the loose teeth.


“Tow.” He said. “The surrounding teeth are fine. How did you manage that?”

Numb from the local anaesthetic, I dribbled something about opening my mouth at the wrong time in the wrong company.

“Keeping em'?” He asked. I sat there looking perturbed. I'm no longer a boy who wants to keep a memento like that, I thought.

“No thanks.” I replied, rinsing & spitting. My jaw throbbed in muted pain, courtesy of the painkillers. Riding the bus home, I still felt as though I'd just woken up in the paddock again. Everything around me was different, I was a foreigner in my own home country, my sense of time was wrong. It felt like night but the sun had only just begun to go down & the day did not feel like a Monday, but some random day of no significance.

I poured a glass of water & struggled to keep it in my mouth, then went to bed. A loud thumping noise woke me up. This was it. The end was nigh. The door opened & my housemate stepped in, a grin plastered all over his face. Falco was always happy to inform you of what happened. More so, when he realised you had no clue as to what transpired.


“How's the jaw?” Falco said easing himself into my desk chair.

“Sore, sore, sore & sore.”

“That new bar at the Eagle's Head has some real sharp corners.”

“So it wasn't a fight?”

“What?” He took aback to that idea. “Man, you're wimp when it comes to conflict.”

“I dunno. We are all capable of feats, even when we can't hold a glass.”

“So where'd you sleep last night? One minute we're cleaning you up, the next you disappeared.”

“Huh. A paddock.”

Falco stared at me confused.

“A paddock?”

“A paddock & a half eaten pizza.”

I rearranged myself in bed as we sat there in silence, both lost & confused as in what to make of it all.

“Know where?”

“Nope.”

Later in the night the pain began to go down & the bed grew uncomfortable. Slowly I headed into the lounge, but side tracked & made myself a coffee. Waiting for the kettle to boil, I looked out the window- the night majestic & still unveiled opportunities to all. Silently it all came back to me- how I got to the paddock, the pizza, my phone, my empty wallet. They came together. I went back into my room & fished out my phone & wallet. Two missed calls from unknown numbers, one at the time I think I woke up- 10:37. In my wallet was a scrap of paper with a name & number- Mary 0418 053 737. It was all nonsensical- from the city to a suburban paddock. Perhaps I caught a taxi, fell asleep, got kicked out & stumbled into the paddock. Maybe Mary had the answer? I gave her a call. A mobile ring tone played in the lounge, could it be? I hung up & went into the darkened lounge. The tune had stopped.


“Mary?” I called in the night.

Images kept coming to me as I slept- a woman sitting calmly as I talked to her. From time to time, I'd spit out blood onto the road whilst lifting the veil on worldly secrets she'd yet to realise. This woman was beautiful, I think, & all she was doing was trying to get home. How long did I keep her there? Did I come onto her? As the pictures kept coming back, I got no where. A part of my night went missing & I was worried. In fact, it chilled my spine to think what I might have done. Within one's mind what you're capable of is known, but when drunk or high…The hairs on my neck stood in attention- this ignorance was my greatest fear. My sins might have to be paid up before I got another chance.

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