The music of meltdown..
Monday, October 2nd, 2006There is a nuclear power plant about 10 miles from where I live. It has 2 huge chimneys which constatly exude gas of some kind, and you can see it for miles around. 20 minutes ago when I was walking home from my weekly seminar, the noise began. It started quite quietly but swiftly began to get louder. The birds stoped singing. It was a low droning sound with a quality I would describe as apocalyptic if i was feeling particularly dramatic. Let’s go with foreboding instead. I looked around me, but there was nobody in sight. A car shot past. Were they escaping to a nearby bunker? I started to think about all the alien invasion movies I’ve seen over the years. There’s always a heroic figure like Jeff Goldblum. I could be the Jeff Goldblum of Pennsylvania. I started to think about all the post-apocalyptic movies I’ve seen over the years. There’s always a lovable rogue like Kevin Costner. I could be the Kevin Costner of Chester County.
My pace quickened as I came closer to my house. Was anybody else hearing this? Had they already been abducted? Would a nuclear meltdown be a precursor of an indian summer? I shouted for Sabine, my housemate, as I entered the building. Perhaps her head would have turned green. Perhaps mine already had and she would scream in alarm. She appeared through a doorway. She didn’t look any greener than usual. Maybe there’s a bunker in the house I dont know about. Maybe there’s a playstation down there. Maybe it’s all going to be ok.
It’s all going to be ok. It was a monthly drill. The music of meltdown happens every month. I will live to eat another enchilada. I will live to see Tottenham lift the Champions league. I may live to be Kevin Costner…
The Dude