Pictures

Artwork By: Fabian Perez

Provided By: Ataraxia

I parked my car across Mr. Wright's apartment building and waited. There wasn't much left to do, but eye at his apartment - and wait. Well-suited was not my way of spending the night in a '91 Civic - though I had my coat off and cozied up my collar shirt, but still uncomfortable. It was like back in school when nap was always welcomed even in uniform; though things changed after years. I loved being a little girl, it made me do everything without having to ponder about the consequences.

Night was dark but shades of orange twilight were evident. I loved the quiet silent night right from the day when fear of darkness vanished from inside of me. Even the slightest of move created a blatant sound. I lowered the window and lit a cigarette. I've always smoked for occassions and the moment was swell enough. Soon I started taking big puffs and in no time vision in front of me got smokey.

I stared right through it at the dark sky, the whirl smoke, I felt as being soothe into the wormhole of past-shuddersome-memories. Rise of trance-optic tunes somewhere in my Cerebral Cortex and soon flashy flicks of, once shrouded past, were all that I was dwelled on into. They flashed, flashed and flashed - faster, faster and faster; and 'tuk' as mere drop of pin just brought me back. That numbness was there, I could shiver, with a sweaty forehead. I didn't blink, frightened to close my eyes even for a bit; paralyzed!

It was not the pin that dropped. It was her - the Lady in Black, who impetuously came storming through the bar door which was endlessly creating a racking sound as it slammed back and forth assisted by the wind.

She grubbed a cigarette pack from her purse and pulled one out. Took a lighter, lit it up and with a draggy gait leaned against the cornered side-wall of the street. She was, as if, a bloom in the misty night and a cynosure of everything around her. I kept looking at her as she looked at the silent dead street with great pursuit. Then I realized that she was actually where I am, ...

We were there. Nowhere! She kept looking at the street, and I at her, without a sight of purpose. I finally knew what it was like to be empty - oblivious of all senses. It was an unfathomable truth of life that we are all - mere pictures!