smoke and combustable mirrors

Being inside of a machine such as a car or a train can suddenly become very frightening when you begin to smell something burning. At least for me. At first you wait for it to pass but as the smell lingers you internaly, slowly start to panic. God help your insanity if the stench grows any stronger. This happened to me on the train today. I was in a car with maybe ten strangers only three stops away from my home when the unspecific burning smell loomed into my car. Must be something outside. We travel to the next stop. The smell remains and is getting stronger. I look around and see no smoke or signs of distress nor destruction. None of my fellow riders have broken their idle stare that seems to last their entire commute. Their noses remain uncrinkled and apparently, unaware. I sit in my seat moving my head and eyes in tiny darts searching for evidence of disaster. Nothing. If TV and movies have taught me anything it's that at any moment my train is about to explode. Without warning and I will be faced with the decision of whether to save myself or someone else. One more stop to go. No one smells that? I study my fellow travlers faces for signs of recognition. Either no one smells it or they don't watch the same movies as me. It's my stop. I'm safe. I seem to suffer from paranoia that I think manifested itself inside of me after breaking my leg. If I pass a construction site while in my car and take in a burnt tar odor, my eyes automatically go to that "H and C" gauge on the dashboard. Without any knowledge of cars I simply assume that if my car is about to blow up, the little hand will shoot dramatically toward either the H or the C away from where it permanently rests (in the middle). I constantly think that my whereabouts is suddenly going to burst into flames. Heater making a funny nose? My house is surely about to combust. Milk not steaming properly? This old cappucino machine in Clio is clearly seconds away from igniting my latte on fire. At the Bed and Breakfast in Ptown our room was freezing because I wouldn't allow Rachel to remove the iron gate infront of the fire place. Why not? The fire was obviously going to leap out and burn the whole town to the ground. I did however have a breakthrough last night. I allowed the candles in my house to be lit while I ran down to the basement to grab the laundry. Adventurers unite! -lj