A Cold Night

• Ayden Cengic, Grade 6H
• Short Story
• 2014

Cold. That’s how Jordan felt under the night-time blanket of Seattle. The only warmth he could rely on was his hands, enough for him to blow on for at least a few seconds warmth. There really wasn’t much else. He was unusually unclothed for such a cold evening. He was only in basketball shorts and a white t-shirt. But to him, the cold didn’t matter. Nothing mattered about the weather. The weather was as unsubstantial as the people below him, gently coloured ants barely noticeable among the strong colours of the headlights and paint jobs of cars.
Jordan was unsure about what he cared about. Was there anything to care about anyway? He was unsure. The empty glass in his right hand wasn’t going to give him any advice on his philosophical plights. Nobody was. He was standing on his 10th floor apartment’s balcony. He could hear his TV blaring on behind him, something about the weather. But he really didn’t care.
Jordan’s mind whirled into a pit of confusion and depression, Jordan didn’t know which. All he knew at that moment in time was that his glass was empty. To him, this wasn’t a good thing. So he decided to enter his abode.
It was a nice apartment. Expensive, too. Jordan was unsure if he regretted buying this place. But it was too late to reject the offer, and while he spent a lot of time in here, the furniture didn’t seem to matter.
Jordan threw his glass at a wall. It shattered. Shards of glass scattered across the room. Jordan regretted this decision.
“Well.” This was the only reaction Jordan could muster. This was an event that caught him by surprise. He never expected his emotions to overcome him like this. He’s never gotten this mad. Now he had damaged his own property in this outrage. This was a problem.
Jordan decided not to conflict his current nature with more negativity. He needed to cheer up, not lose himself in some form of outrage. He wasn’t nearly cheered up enough. He was not in a fun state. But how was he going to cheer up? There was clearly nothing on the TV. He turned to see what was on.
He turned back almost immediately. Nothing. It was a football game. He didn’t feel that sports were going to cheer him up, particularly at this moment in time. But then, Jordan had a brain wave. An idea. It was perfect.
Jordan went to get another glass.