Toilet Paper

Toilet Paper

Why? Why the sudden rush on toilet paper? Blizzards… no run, hurricanes… no run, N1H1…no run, why now?

The lowly toilet paper roll. Sitting there silent and still all night. Then morning comes and suddenly it’s not lonely. Alarms go off and there is a rush of activity. Little hands spinning it around, oblivious of how many times. Feminine and masculine, both seeking its familiarity. The little roll is overjoyed with activity.

A bus comes and one small hand is gone, then another bus and another smaller hand is gone. Both gone for the day visiting other rolls at school. But that’s okay because the larger hands are still here. But not for long. First one car engine and then another and the larger hands are gone for the day as well, off to visit other rolls at their offices.

Now the poor toilet paper roll sits silent and alone again for another eight hours. Two-thirds of its day it sits silent and alone. Buses come back bringing spins from the little hands. Cars come back and even more spins. The spins come and go throughout the evening until night settles in. Little hands go to bed. TV is turned off and larger hands go to bed. And the roll sits silent as the cycle starts again, but as always with it starting the next day smaller than the last.

But wait… something is happening. There’s a change in the air. It’s not the weekend, but after the routine flourish of activity the busses didn’t come. Little hands here all day with the dwindling roll. Not having to share with the ones at the schools. The feminine hand didn’t leave this morning either. The office rolls now also sitting silent like the schools. The masculine hand still leaves, and another offices roll is busy again. Oh the joys of three hands spinning the little roll all day instead of the lonely silence.

Evening comes and now there are four again. Night settles in and the little roll is scared. It’s almost at the end of it life, just hanging on a little longer.

Dawn has broken and the daily rush is late, yet it comes. No buses, nor engines today. The little roll is happing spinning away more and more until it is gone. It’s served it’s time well. Two weeks of comfort for the four sets of hands spinning it one-third of the day but in its final moments it feared for its replacement.

A new roll, a new life of comfort, but this roll will not have two-thirds of its day to rest. No, all the hands are here from dawn to night. Spinning now two-thirds of the day. The little roll knows it will not last as long as the last with no relief from the schools roll or the office rolls. It must carry the full burden now for the one week it may have to live. It fears maybe even less…inexperienced little hands just spin and spin it toward its core. The poor school rolls! Reinforcements are needed! Now! Go before we are no longer!