Chasing Shadows
I walk down the street, bag on my shoulder, hand in my pocket. In the hand in the pocket is a phone.
On the corner, a man stands next to a table. On the table are piles and piles of newspaper. He shouts out the headlines over the beeping of horns, the growling of engines, the music blaring from the shops, people talking loudly about their latest purchases. Probably stuff they'd never need.
"Evening Edition! Front page: Have we stopped fooling ourselves? Have we now proved once and for all that aliens do exist?"
I walk up to him. Not too close, he seems to have forgotten his deodorant today. I hand him the money and walk away.
Front page: aliens appearing more and more. Page four: a list of all alien activity to date. Hell, they've managed to shove the politicians to page twenty where they belong! All the stuff about war and suffering in other countries, just after the aliens. That's more like it. Maybe one day they'll actually see reminding people that other people suffer as a priority one day.
Eurgh. I turn my head so I don't have to watch the teenage couple trying to suck each other's brains out on the bench outside the park. Damn, I've wandered into the "love" district, so named because it's full of restaurants and parks and cinemas; plenty of little hideouts for couples. Suddenly, I feel terribly out of place.
There's one couple not kissing or holding hands, though. Simply walking, apparently unaware of everything else around them. I was like that, once. They're talking rapidly, like they've got twenty-four hours to save the world or something. Now they've gone, down that alleyway. Shit!
I run after them. But I didn't look. A taxi's speeding towards me. I jump out the way just in time. Loud, coarse abuse batters at my ears, but I ignore it. There's something up there.
Bright lights glare down at London again. Far too many and far too bright to just be helicopters or planes. I squint up at it, then remember my binoculars. They're not ordinary ones- they're night-vision ones. Yeah, what's a city girl like me doing with night-vision binoculars in my handbag? Sod off, you wouldn't understand.
There's someone up there. Several someones. A man, a woman and a couple dozen aliens. Oh, and a box. Can't tell what colour it is, though, sorry. Don't need to, though. I know exactly what colour it is.
The man's shouting, he's very clearly unimpressed. He's waving a thin tube about. Just for a second, I take the binoculars away from my eyes. Yep, there's a small blue light added to the rest of the lights shining. I'm probably the only one down here that knows it's there.
They're going now. The box has faded away. I hastily stuff the binoculars back in my bag and watch the alien lights spin away, then join the stars.
The crowd around me mutters. Aliens, someone mutters. Another one, someone mutters. Mutter, mutter, mutter. Me, I say nothing. I know it's aliens, yeah. I can hear an alien grinding. Suddenly, I have an overwhelming desire to run into the alley I saw the couple go into. They're there. Stepping inside a box, and this time, I can see what colour it is, though, like I said before, I don't need to 'cos I know what colour it is. Blue. A dark, royal blue, with a light blue light on top. I run towards it, I don't know why, I just do. I need to.
Alien grinding reaches my ears again, and I quicken my pace. I reach out a hand to touch it, grab it, anything.
My fingers close on nothing.
There's nothing there, just a square shape in the dirt of the alleyway.
Slowly, I walk back to the alley entrance.
I scan the skies, and then I see it. Spinning, round and round and round, like a top, blue light flashing.
I can feel the tears track down my cheeks, but I don't care. No one looks at me strangely. Why would they? I'm in the "love" district; relationships are made here. They're also broken.
I turn round again as the box disappears, so I'm facing the shadows. That's it, shadows. I'm chasing shadows.
DW
this was inspired by the newest doctor who episode, partners in crime, which i saw just over an hour ago. those who haven't seen it, don't worry, there wasn't a single spoiler in there. those who have, remember donna's one-sided conversation with the woman at the police barrier? inspired by that bit. i'd like to point out, this has nothing to do with the episode as such. just a random though popped in my head