So I wrote a short story. Sit back, relax. Grab some tea or coffee and take a moment to escape into a story not your own…
The air had a chill. The clouds less bright, overcast, bringing in a sense of gloom. The darker they came, the faster, people rushed away. The street feeling more and more desolate. The leaves quickened their pace, circling around her feet.
She stood for a moment. Watching the leaves, dead, moving through the air, with a last breath of life. They crinkled, as she stepped over them, leaving them to lay on the street, stricken with rain drops suddenly falling like swords from the sky.
Covering her head with her hood, she walked at a quicker pace. She didn’t feel a rush to be anywhere in particular. She knew the direction would appear.
A tousled pup ran across her path. He stopped, wagged his tail, tilted his head, and looked at her with a sense of curiosity. She couldn’t help it. She bent down, smiled and offered her hand for him to sniff to ensure he knew she was a friend. He bent his head, and she scratched and patted him until his tail wagged so happily she couldn’t help but laugh. The wonderment of such an animal on one’s soul. And as quick as he came, just as quick he was prancing along, leaving her life, and her behind.
She saw the road outstretched ahead of her. Trees heavily waving their branches in every direction. The wind rushing past her. The rain slowing to a steady pace. The bookstore nearby lit with a dim light, entranced her. She slowed at the window, looking in, wondering what wonder may lay inside. She stepped in, a break from the rain and the wind and the world waiting for her.
She felt an escape inside. An escape into so many stories. So many lives different than hers. She picked up a book, feeling the paper in-between her fingers, skimming the words on a page, feeling a mini escape into a land unknown. A grassy field of lavender flowers embracing the touch of a child running through the field. She moved past. Smelling the coffee, the croissants buttered to gluttony and satisfaction, and a musk of candles lit to provide a sense of calm and relaxation. A moment to leave the rest behind.
Stepping back outside, the smell of coffee behind, the mini escapes left within, she kept onward. She saw a group of folks under an umbrella at an outside table, over a bottle of wine. Laughing. Excited. It felt as if they had known each other for decades, catching up over clinking glasses, glistening eyes, and pure joy. She felt a sense of envy, wishing she was there too. But she knew, she had her own experiences, whether they had passed or not. She moved along, leaving the laughter behind.
Her eyes looked passed the passer-byers. She saw something further along. She couldn’t quite grasp what it was. But she knew it was where she had to go. Her feet quickened their pace. Her head determined. Her breath feeling stronger. Her eyes glistening with a sense of urgency. Her heart, feeling like it would be full soon.
She reached an opening. Water beyond it. The river overlooking the rest of the city. She sat on a bench and watched the waves. She knew she needed to be here. To sit, To breathe. To let the world in. To let herself feel. To let herself unwind, relax, and let herself feel the calm and peace the sight and sound of being by the water brings.
He saw her. Watched from the pathway. And couldn’t help but notice the serene calm that elevated from her. He wanted to approach. To know her. But knew, it wasn’t the time.
Now recorded as a podcast for your listening pleasure – listen now!
Would you want to read or hear a part 2? Let us know at @radiatedaily
Until next time… radiatedaily
image source: pixabay
