Imagine

Jacob moved carefully, wary of the many improbably perched ornaments that decorated the house. “Over here,” called Angela, her voice seemingly distant. It was no real help, but the corridor had only one way out that didn’t seem to be covered in years of dust. Jacob stepped into the brightest room in the house, a window letting in the rays of dusk. “See? He’s still alive,” said Angela. The kitten in her hand looked bedraggled, but it was breathing, its tiny chest rising and falling rythmically. ...

The club is packed, and the crowd is slowly transforming. The Friday night 9-to-5ers are leaving, finishing their week, and the dedicated party nuts are heading out to start their weekend; two different worlds crossing in the common space of the music and drink. I’m not sure what I’m doing here, and soon I will be out of place, the business shirt and formal pants an odditity instead of the standard. But she’s here. It’s always about a girl. ...

Day 18 Actually getting out from work by the clock to make it in time for that train, those 5 minutes before. She was looking lost in thought today, and my train pulled in first. She looked up and directly at me before my train pulled out, the distance between us halved. Day 19 She has a boyfriend, it seems. He was carrying flowers, and they were standing hand-in-hand. Day 24 ...

Day 1 I saw this girl standing on the opposite platform today, waiting like I was. Almost exactly like I was actually - slouched at the end of day made much too long, iPod plugged into ears, staring off into the middle distance. Day 3 I saw that girl (from a couple of days ago) again today. We made eye contact for a second across the tracks, but in the usual manner of strangers looked away nearly instantly when we realised eye contact had been made. ...

She walks down the street, head bent into her favourite book. She’s reading this for the fifth time, this year. Her feet know the way to work, moving automatically to her destination, a desk some stories up in a glass tower. Even if she knows exactly how this chapter ends, every time she reads it her heart soars, and rides a rollercoaster. She knows that if she finishes this chapter off, she’ll smile nearly all day today. When I first saw her, she was wearing pinstripes, and that’s what she’s wearing today. Every little thing makes her happier, and there’s nothing better than that. ...