Fire? Fire!

I'm in the Blue box again. I need to work, the writing won't flow, but I know now that sometimes I need to wrestle the words out of my brain because they are shy these days.

The alarm begins.

"Is that the fire alarm?" S goes to the door, "No it's the door, it won't close." The students start filing out of the lab, it is the alarm. Not so familiar. It's only the second time I've heard the noise. The last time was a 2am wiring glitch. I have forgotten about it though, and now the noise is just the tickling feeling of a memory. I look questioningly at my laptop before I assure myself that this is just a drill. I grab my bag and cast a last glance toward my laptop as I join the slow, small exodus.

We're at the previously established gathering point, the admin staff are wearing red caps with 'Warden' blaring yellow from above the brow. I can only imagine that this would be of little comfort if the building was really going up in flames. I look up at the looming university building and my imagination superimposes great tongues or flame over its now calm exterior. The final scene of Hitchcock's Rebecca dances around my mind. The reality of this experience is somewhat anticlimactic; it is daytime now, sunny and far too glorious to lend any dramatic element to the situation.

I look about at the student body, there are so few people here. I'm sure most of the student cohort must be enjoying the final gasp of Summer weather at the beach or swanning about at some vineyard or engaged in some other equally leisurely activity.

My thoughts are muted, I should be working, but even if the alarm hadn't interupted me, I'm sure I'd be getting nothing done anyway. I'm losing the wrestling match today.

Another thought; I've been here for three years, and this is the first fire drill we've had in that time. Or maybe there were others and I was one of the beach-going cohort registering absence. Or maybe they just didn't happen, perhaps up until now the safety of the student body wasn't a concern. Everyone seems to be milling, discussing the assignments they are writing, or presentations to  be planned and practiced. Everyone is wrestling today.

It's over, we're back inside, everyone is settling down, preparing to continue the struggle. Brains don't like sunny weather. More students are arriving, I see B "You missed the fire drill!" her eyebrows shoot up "Really? I didn't know we had them." My thoughts exactly.

I'm going downstairs to the basement, N is on his phone discussing the virtues of the waves at Nanarup, the boys are downstairs, already halfway through a pool game, the kettle boils, more people on the couch reading. It is such a non-event.

I return to my laptop. I begin the wrestle again.