I stood on the stoop of the house staring at the brickwork beneath my feet. Shifting my weight to one side, I poked my toe at a stone inlaid loosely on the step beneath me, listening to the grating of brick on mortar as it moved back and forth. Pulling a cigarette out of my coat pocket, I sat on the edge of the bottom stair, and stretched my legs out in front of me. I lit the cigarette, drew in a sharp breath, and then slowly exhaled.
The avenue was quiet: the street lamps cast an orange glow that fell faintly on the dark sidewalks. A slight breeze ruffled the trees, causing shadows to dance and sway across the still houses behind. My eyes followed the rustling leaves up to the dark sky that stretched expansively above me. The city lights snuffed out all the stars save a handful, and even those glittered ever so faintly. After inhaling again, I blew a long slow breath of smoke into the air above me, and watched it coil and then uncurl as it leisurely disintegrated into the night. The silence was fragile, like suspended dust glistening in a sliver of light flowing through a window.
Then, faint footsteps startled the street. I turned and strained my eyes to reach down past the hill to where the resounding stir was coming from. The steps continued on the concrete: click, clack, click, clack, click clack. Finally, a woman…no…a girl came into view. As she continued up the sidewalk, I studied her.
Where was she coming from? I wondered. Wearing a dark shirt, pants, and hat, she nearly blended with the backdrop as she made her way up the avenue. She wore a large backpack, and held two large grocery bags at her side. The lamp lights glinted off the glasses that sat high on the bridge of her nose. By now she had passed nearly three of the many bus stops that littered a street that lay congested with cars by day. She must live in one of these houses, I mused. As she passed by each house, however, the night seemed to mutter: “No, not here” and then “Not there either.”
The girl moved slowly but intently up the hill, the golden braid that cascaded out from beneath her hat swaying back and forth along her small frame. She was petite, with subtle curves and an athletic build. She was…pretty.
Suddenly, with baseless motive, I felt an urge to grab her attention. I wanted to let her know that her presence was not the only one that inhabited this open space so late at night. She should see that there is a stranger lying in the dark, hidden by the shadows of trees, marked only by a single glowing ember. So I coughed.
She turned, her eyes searching for the location of the muffled sound. I looked back at her as the smoke from my cigarette slowly wafted from my hand, creating a thin screen between the two of us. As she slowed her walk, and her eyebrows furrowed, I realized she had not seen me yet. Should I cough again? Should I say hello? My heart began to beat a little faster at the thought of revealing that I had been here all along, fixedly watching a woman as she walked past this house. Would she ignore me? I continued to wonder. Would she respond? Would she scream?
Maybe I’ll say good evening, I contemplated, but then dismissed the notion after realizing how much my voice could and would emulate a Hitchcock character. Instead, I crushed out my cigarette on the stoop, and sat completely cloaked by darkness. Her eyes scanned the scenery as she continued walking, her strides now faster and longer.
She stopped. I heard her draw a winded breath and watched as she pulled her bags in closer to her hips, peering intently into the dark. It now seemed that her eyes were resting on my hiding place. I glanced down, and saw a cinder still glowing hotly on the step. My heart pulsated in its chamber as I reached a foot out to step on it, my chest rising and falling in panicked breaths. As I moved, I felt the loose stone beneath me begin to click loudly.
I know she’ll scream now, I thought with terror. She’ll hear me, and then she’ll see me. She’ll see me, and then she’ll scream! She’ll scream, and then she’ll run! What should I do? Should I tell her I’m here? What if I startle her and she cries out? Should I muffle her before she has a chance to make a sound? My thoughts raced as I tried to reach the ember to halt its telltale glow without moving off of the stoop and pulling the loose brick.
Finally, my outstretched foot snuffed out the tiny light, and I turned my eyes up to the girl standing out on the sidewalk. She was gone. I jumped up, the edge of my coat tearing on the ragged brick, causing the stone to tumble loudly onto the ground. Running to the street, I frantically whipped from side to side, trying to see where she had disappeared to. Both ends of the street were empty, no cars driving through, no faint footsteps falling onto hard pavement. The night had grown silent once again, except for each gasp of breath I took as my pulse slowed.
I turned and walked back toward the stoop, bent over to pick up the brick, and then laid it on the top stair. Hopefully, the owner of the home will notice it when he leaves for work tomorrow. Walking down the sidewalk, I checked my watch. Bus should be coming soon, I thought. I pulled out another cigarette and shook my head as I lit a match.
She was gone.
The avenue was quiet: the street lamps cast an orange glow that fell faintly on the dark sidewalks. A slight breeze ruffled the trees, causing shadows to dance and sway across the still houses behind. My eyes followed the rustling leaves up to the dark sky that stretched expansively above me. The city lights snuffed out all the stars save a handful, and even those glittered ever so faintly. After inhaling again, I blew a long slow breath of smoke into the air above me, and watched it coil and then uncurl as it leisurely disintegrated into the night. The silence was fragile, like suspended dust glistening in a sliver of light flowing through a window.
Then, faint footsteps startled the street. I turned and strained my eyes to reach down past the hill to where the resounding stir was coming from. The steps continued on the concrete: click, clack, click, clack, click clack. Finally, a woman…no…a girl came into view. As she continued up the sidewalk, I studied her.
Where was she coming from? I wondered. Wearing a dark shirt, pants, and hat, she nearly blended with the backdrop as she made her way up the avenue. She wore a large backpack, and held two large grocery bags at her side. The lamp lights glinted off the glasses that sat high on the bridge of her nose. By now she had passed nearly three of the many bus stops that littered a street that lay congested with cars by day. She must live in one of these houses, I mused. As she passed by each house, however, the night seemed to mutter: “No, not here” and then “Not there either.”
The girl moved slowly but intently up the hill, the golden braid that cascaded out from beneath her hat swaying back and forth along her small frame. She was petite, with subtle curves and an athletic build. She was…pretty.
Suddenly, with baseless motive, I felt an urge to grab her attention. I wanted to let her know that her presence was not the only one that inhabited this open space so late at night. She should see that there is a stranger lying in the dark, hidden by the shadows of trees, marked only by a single glowing ember. So I coughed.
She turned, her eyes searching for the location of the muffled sound. I looked back at her as the smoke from my cigarette slowly wafted from my hand, creating a thin screen between the two of us. As she slowed her walk, and her eyebrows furrowed, I realized she had not seen me yet. Should I cough again? Should I say hello? My heart began to beat a little faster at the thought of revealing that I had been here all along, fixedly watching a woman as she walked past this house. Would she ignore me? I continued to wonder. Would she respond? Would she scream?
Maybe I’ll say good evening, I contemplated, but then dismissed the notion after realizing how much my voice could and would emulate a Hitchcock character. Instead, I crushed out my cigarette on the stoop, and sat completely cloaked by darkness. Her eyes scanned the scenery as she continued walking, her strides now faster and longer.
She stopped. I heard her draw a winded breath and watched as she pulled her bags in closer to her hips, peering intently into the dark. It now seemed that her eyes were resting on my hiding place. I glanced down, and saw a cinder still glowing hotly on the step. My heart pulsated in its chamber as I reached a foot out to step on it, my chest rising and falling in panicked breaths. As I moved, I felt the loose stone beneath me begin to click loudly.
I know she’ll scream now, I thought with terror. She’ll hear me, and then she’ll see me. She’ll see me, and then she’ll scream! She’ll scream, and then she’ll run! What should I do? Should I tell her I’m here? What if I startle her and she cries out? Should I muffle her before she has a chance to make a sound? My thoughts raced as I tried to reach the ember to halt its telltale glow without moving off of the stoop and pulling the loose brick.
Finally, my outstretched foot snuffed out the tiny light, and I turned my eyes up to the girl standing out on the sidewalk. She was gone. I jumped up, the edge of my coat tearing on the ragged brick, causing the stone to tumble loudly onto the ground. Running to the street, I frantically whipped from side to side, trying to see where she had disappeared to. Both ends of the street were empty, no cars driving through, no faint footsteps falling onto hard pavement. The night had grown silent once again, except for each gasp of breath I took as my pulse slowed.
I turned and walked back toward the stoop, bent over to pick up the brick, and then laid it on the top stair. Hopefully, the owner of the home will notice it when he leaves for work tomorrow. Walking down the sidewalk, I checked my watch. Bus should be coming soon, I thought. I pulled out another cigarette and shook my head as I lit a match.
She was gone.
