Stories of the street - Five A and B

----A----

He’s been sitting at home on his own now for several days. There is nothing left in the fridge and hardly a tin in the cupboards. He is cold and thirsty but he cannot be bothered to get up and sort things out. He just sits there looking out through the grimy net curtains, wondering what to do. Sometimes he folds his arms; sometimes he realises that his arms are falling asleep as they lose circulation; once or twice he has placed his hands at the back of his head and tries to look like a picture of what he imagines relaxation to be like.

He has stopped turning the lights off and on. When it gets dark he cannot look outside with the light on in the room.

He cannot remember the last time he went to the toilet. Perhaps he goes without thinking about it and therefore does not notice. He wonders how it is possible to slow your life down so much and still experience it as a blur.

He watches a familiar face as it pauses in front of his window. The doorbell rings and he thinks that it is good to know the battery still has a charge. After a few minutes the face appears at the window again and he hears his name being called out. This person can see him and seems to be worried so he waves his hand in what he hopes is a friendly but conciliatory manner and prays that the person will go away. He then shakes his head in a fashion that might be seen and understood. Finally, he is left in peace again.

“It’s only your daughter.” He says to the cold room behind him. His voice is as dry and brittle as an old leaf.

----B----

One girl is singing.

The voice is so loud it almost drowns out everything else and the song is brilliant. As she sings, the lyrics take shape and ease inside the music, increasing the intensity and power of the song.

She is taking notes, struggling to keep every single word in her head, so she goes over some lines several times, occasionally changing and improving a word or a sentence and testing it to make certain that they are the very best words ever.

At times she is amazed by how ignorant the people around her are. They are all completely deaf. OK, so she is singing in her head, but the vibes must surely be bursting out through her skin. Her pores are positively vibrating with the song and her whole being is dancing with the music.
One girl is singing but she looks just like any other school girl walking along the street.