Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Bad juju


The abandoned building site reminded me of a couple of experiences I’ve had here in town. One was in a restaurant/nightclub that had been financed by the bank where I worked. The business had gone belly up and was now ours to dispose of. We went to inspect our new property.

We let ourselves in the back alley door, stumbled through a dark entryway and found a light switch. The scene in front of us was total carnage – the wreckage of a food and drink orgy. Every table was still set with the remains of a meal – plates dotted with mouldering bits of food, utensils at all angles, water glasses half-full, liquor glasses empty, napkins crumpled and smeared. There were empty bottles everywhere – standing on the tables, lying on the floor. It was as if the party had been going at full steam and in an instant had just stopped. As if the last person had taken a last bite and tossed off a last drink and that was the signal for everyone to immediately stand and walk out. Or as if they had suddenly been zapped and turned to instant dust and they were all now lying on the floor under their chairs next to the bottles. If we sprinkled them with liquor, would they reconstitute themselves to carry on where they left off?

In the kitchen area all the pots and pans, cooking and serving utensils, were still sitting where they had been used. Spills congealed on the stove and countertops. There was a large dead black bird – a crow or raven – lying on the counter next to an even larger butcher’s knife.

It was like a scene from the movie “The Shining” - walking down a deserted hallway, and peering into an empty room that I expected to see suddenly fill with strange, frenzied life.

The building's next incarnation included Chippendale dancers.

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