Friday, May 15, 2015

Puppeteer - locked in an inner world

He settled down in his worn out chair, closing his mind and focused on emptying his thoughts. Zero, one, two. He heard the sound of distant crashing waves. One, two three. Imposing blue walls shook the Earth as they rose and expanded into the vast sky, the sound of crashing waves a whimpering cry. Two, three, four. They caved in, the waves. Fearless, but for a second sorrowful and splashes of regret. Three, four, five. Layers of colourless liquid lathered the deep blue, somehow remembering how beautiful it was amidst the sound of crashing waves by now weaning out. Six.

Through the the dark world he eased at an opening, slowly coaxing it awake. Through the crevice he peered into a little window of light. It was bright, but he adjusted. Three, four, five. A park by a busy street focused into view. People strolled here and there, basking in the strong scent of sunlight. Sounds of muted chatter scattered the area. It was peaceful. He took a deep breath as he scanned the surroundings, looking for something to pick up on. There he saw, towards the right by a hotdog stand, an average office worker, a woman dressed a white blouse with faint stripes running through, with complementing black skirt and heels. But her eyes were gentle, her smile soft. The hotdog stand owner wore an even bigger smile, happily pulling out a hotdog from underneath the stand and handing it over to the lady, gesturing toward the sauces while watching her give two quick taps on the payment board. From the crevice he saw the lady's lips turn into a wider smile, moving as what he made to be a thank you. He too, smiled at the lady. Attention caught, he zoomed in, turning the dials in his head - 40°37'27.1"N 74°07'07.6"W. 
I'm so hungry. Ah, how I want to sink my teeth into the sausage. Feel it burst and rip in my mouth... 'Not quite the demure lady she looks to be,' he mused, turning to the stand owner. After this I should go for a lunch break. A coffee bye the lake-side cafe would be good. He saw in the stand owner's mind coffee and cake in a delicate tea set. The over-saturated colour of coffee emanated from the cup, and its smell wafted into view. Ahh! 'What is it?' He skilfully zoomed out just a little. The lady was looking at her blouse exasperatedly. The ketchup bottle in her right hand was shaking ever so slightly. He looked at the stand owner. .. That's terrible. I should give her some cleaning solution. Where is it - this is a little embarrassing. A slight blush rushed over the stand owner's cheeks. Um... let's see where was it - Ah, here! An image of a roller fabric cleaner popped up. He looked turned to the lady. This is embarrassing! I hope he just ignores me while I make my escape. 'But that won't do, he wants to help you.' She's walking off. I need to give this to her quickly, though it looks a little awkward to give her something this brute. He heard the stand owner.  
'Then how about something a little more flattering for the young lady over there?' he thought, feeling a little smile forming at the corner of his mouth. He focused an image of a flower in his mind, a white daisy to be precise, channeling all his concentration to the stand owner. The stand owner looked at the cleaning device and smiled as a spark of inspiration hit him. The stand owner placed the roller under the stand and quickly scanned the net for a template, reaching back under the stand to produce a white daisy. Proud of his work the stand owner handed the flower to the lady. "This is for you, young lady." The stand owner presented the flower to the office worker. 
The lady took a while to figure what the flower was, but her eyes lit up when she did, and gratefully accepted it, trying her best to return the stand owner's gregarious smile. That's such a romantic! At least my shirt's clean now. Maybe, that wasn't so bad. She twirled the flower around, deciding to keep it. 
He sighed and tried to convey a smile to the lady. Feeling satisfied with his work he withdrew from her conscious, from the street by the park, from the crevice and back into the dark world. 

The waves were rolling. Somewhere the sound of waves mixed with the wind and lulled him into a limbo. Two, one, zero. He was backed in this world. He was sitting on his worn out chair. 

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