In the Dark
She boarded Metro 042 in the early morning gloom and ...
OR
What pulled you out of bed really early lately?
Write everyday ... it's good for your readers' souls.
Check out the INKsters in Second Life for all things virtually literary.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
In the Dark
She boarded Metro 042 in the early morning gloom knowing today would be the last time. She'd put on her tight fitting sleeveless top because she wanted to make the kind of impression people would remember. She didn't mind being scandalous and comfortable at the same time. Her make-up, her hair, the shoes ... all of it was a bit overdone, but why not? She'd never lit anything on fire except an occasional candle or a stick of incense, and Cosmo didn't offer advice for what to wear to an immolation ceremony. She could have been going to the club, except at this hour she would normally be headed home instead of making her way into the city yet again.
The neon lights, the closed signs, the paperboys, the prostitutes and the bums. She looked at them as if watching a slow motion video played against the glass windows of the bus as it lumbered its way down Central. Stops clicked past one after another but George the driver never needed to pull over at any of them this early in the morning. She was his sole purpose each day. Tomorrow, for this run, he would have no purpose whatsoever.
She exited at her usual stop, smelled the fresh morning air. The usual odor of too many people, too many cars, too much of everything went missing, and the familiar aroma of a city breathing a deep sigh wafted through the air. She could smell O'Malley's bakery a block away and the delicious breads and pastries they prepared to delight their patrons.
Her heels clip-clopped along the sidewalk past the old liquor store where she knew she'd find a pile of cardboard boxes left for those in need. She needed just one.
The grumble of the night guard, the whir of the elevator, and the solitude of the office before sunrise. Surprisingly, nobody beat her to the office. Now all of her clothing choices proved to be a waste of time. She could have come in her pajamas. She found her way to her desk, placed her personal items in the Corona box, and left a sticky note in the center of her computer screen reading, "This place sucks."
The sun sent its advanced rays to warn of dawn and they painted the clouds. Outside a few more people ventured onto the streets on their way to work. She felt happy seeing the corner coffee shop's neon "Open" sign illuminated.
"Do you have an exciting day ahead?" the friendly girl behind the counter asked.
"I've already had all the excitement I can handle for one day," she said.
"Really?"
"Yep, I've been burning bridges all morning."
Post a Comment