I settled back into my chair not sure if I could face doing the work I was supposed to have been doing all morning when the huge door opened, exposing the outside world. An older woman dressed in a bright blue suit and hat pushed on through.
She flung the huge door all the way open, and jumped when the echo of it crashing into the wall finally reverberated back to her a second later. After pushing herself through the huge hole she wandered around the little lobby area trying to figure out just where she was. Grabbing hold of the wide brim of her matching blue hat with her left hand she sort of folded it up; allowing her to see the second floor. She wandered about the entire courtyard this way – mostly walking backwards, but still holding the brim of her hat up with her hand.
Every few steps she would utter something she thought was only an internal thought. “Oh my” and after a few more awkward backward shuffles “what in the devil”.
Finally she backed past me and for the first time in these 3 minutes the idea that she was the first person to ever see this place disappeared from her thoughts. What replaced it I’ll never know, but as soon as her eyes moved from the second floor down to me she let out a confused shriek. It was a short high-pitched little outburst (probably believed by her to be another internal thought, not an outward vocalization) that left the place more silent and solemn than before she arrived.
A second after her eyes met mine she averted them, pulled the flap of hat back over her eyes, adjusted her suit, and walked directly out the gaping hole in the wall her entry had created.
Not saying a word, because really, I had nothing to say, (and no one to say it to) I waited until she was clear of the building and slowly got back up from my chair. I crossed the same distance she just did but rather than disappearing myself, I hefted the door back into place, sealing off reality once again.
Thankful that she had come in and broke through my haze I packed up my computer, and for the first time in a few days figured it was time to see if I had any friends still in town.
She flung the huge door all the way open, and jumped when the echo of it crashing into the wall finally reverberated back to her a second later. After pushing herself through the huge hole she wandered around the little lobby area trying to figure out just where she was. Grabbing hold of the wide brim of her matching blue hat with her left hand she sort of folded it up; allowing her to see the second floor. She wandered about the entire courtyard this way – mostly walking backwards, but still holding the brim of her hat up with her hand.
Every few steps she would utter something she thought was only an internal thought. “Oh my” and after a few more awkward backward shuffles “what in the devil”.
Finally she backed past me and for the first time in these 3 minutes the idea that she was the first person to ever see this place disappeared from her thoughts. What replaced it I’ll never know, but as soon as her eyes moved from the second floor down to me she let out a confused shriek. It was a short high-pitched little outburst (probably believed by her to be another internal thought, not an outward vocalization) that left the place more silent and solemn than before she arrived.
A second after her eyes met mine she averted them, pulled the flap of hat back over her eyes, adjusted her suit, and walked directly out the gaping hole in the wall her entry had created.
Not saying a word, because really, I had nothing to say, (and no one to say it to) I waited until she was clear of the building and slowly got back up from my chair. I crossed the same distance she just did but rather than disappearing myself, I hefted the door back into place, sealing off reality once again.
Thankful that she had come in and broke through my haze I packed up my computer, and for the first time in a few days figured it was time to see if I had any friends still in town.
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