The first time I realised I was in a can was when I heard a loud crash followed by a splitting headache. I am 71, and at this age, your bones start talking more often than your mouth. I do not remember how I landed inside the can. But I do recall there were several other aluminium cans stacked neatly in fluorescent green crates, placed one over another. We must have been in some moving vehicle, for the breeze hit us with a cold draft.
I found myself inside the can on the curb of the road. The lid had come off the can. I must have rolled down a slope, as the can was dusty on the outside. Fortunately, the area is a part of some vast park. There are giant versions of me living around the park in huge structures.
I like the rat that comes from the sewer every morning to visit me. He’s friendly and gets me some peas or seeds to eat. He tells me that the giants outside call themselves “hoomans”. I asked if he had a name. He said no. But I just call him Browny, since his fur is of a chocolate brown colour and I have to call him something.
It gets lonely in this can sometimes. It’s odd to find most people not waking up to hear the neighbour’s cat screeching or the mailman ringing the bell. They wake me up and amuse me. I like seeing the sun go down from my can. I can leave the can at any time, but it’s dangerous, knowing the mindless drivers or the scary dogs on the road. So, I have to be cautious. I am wary of cars, dogs, and some street cats. The cats are friendly and furry, but they eat mice and rats. So, I don’t like them.
My can is more comfortable than people would like to think. It has a small cushion made of cotton for me to sleep on. There is a small cooling unit made of dry ice and placed inside a toy suitcase. I keep my food stored there. I don’t know where Browny gets his food from. But I sometimes go to a nearby flower or mint plant and get flower petals, and mint leaves to repay him for the food he gets me. He likes my gifts. Nobody, he says, ever gifted him anything.
I invited him over inside the can once. For a round of scrabble. He refused. He likes to play outside. I envy him, but I want him to enjoy what I cannot. I am glad I can see the sun from here. It is what I enjoy every day.
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