I Feel the Earth Move

Since moving to a new city in August, I feel tremors about once per month.  When I lived in Gunma I never felt them because the mountains absorbed the quakes.  But now I feel every little shake. 

Oddly, it’s always at night… except for one time it happened at school.  It was second period.  The school’s principal and someone from the Board of Education were observing my class.  The room shook.  The students looked around and giggled.  A few moments later the room shook again, harder and longer.  Tittering, the students jumped out of their seats and crouched under their desks. The principal ran out of the classroom.  The BOE woman and I looked at each other silently.  I wasn’t sure what to do.  I’d never had an earthquake drill training, so I stood there.  A few minutes later an alarm sounded and the principal went on the loudspeaker telling the school that it was safe to resume what we were doing.    

It’s unnerving.  The sound of the building creaking under the stress of the movement.  Should I get up and hide under the desk?  But if it begins to shake while I climb down from my sleeping loft, I may fall off the ladder.  So I lie there waiting for the temblor to stop.  If it doesn’t, I might die crushed by my upstairs neighbor’s washing machine. 

Living alone doesn’t feel lonely to me.  I enjoy it.  But whenever the earth quakes, I wish someone were there with me.