An Isolated Sky
Excerpted from Chapter 5 of my upcoming novel, Wires.
The woods were nice this time of year. Anders could feel his house behind him, gradually fading into a blur of beige shingles as he ventured deeper into the brush. Soon, the layers of bare trees would accumulate until he could no longer see his house at all. It was a little warmer today than yesterday, and the ground was wet from the melting snow. As Anders trailed along, he felt his socks getting soaked with every sinking step.
Out here, the ground was covered in fallen brown leaves, just beginning to decompose. It reminded Anders of how fall seemed like just yesterday. It was melancholic.
Now, in the quiet February air, Anders felt the passage of time overcome him. He’d let these past months slip by him in just an instant. He’d lost those months, trapped in a cycle of boundless thoughts and wasting away days being, by his own standards, unproductive. It all just felt too real.
He walked to his favorite spot, past all the trees and into a clearing. It was situated on a slight hill, and if Anders stood in just the right place, he could see the rows of shops lining the main street of town. He had it all mapped out in his mind, the stores. But from here, he was so deprived of any hint of character or detail, that it seemed strangely mundane.
He came to rest on a large rock which protruded from the grass. He could feel the cold seeping through his flannel pants, chafing the back of his legs.
It was peaceful enough out here that Anders could let his guard down. He sighed, finally finding a moment of solace.
But soon, memories and thoughts pooled in Anders’ mind again. Faces and words flashed in front of his eyes, too fleeting to be remembered. Anders took it all in. He saw himself in the midst of it, sitting idly, refusing to be consumed by the whirlwind of nature. The world kept passing by. Anders’ heart kept pounding.
≫≪
“Anders! I had a feeling I’d see you here again.” Claudia was outside, walking her dog. Focusing on slipping through the yard and towards the front door, Anders had barely noticed. And besides, the sun had already set. It was hard to make out any faraway details in the faint light of dusk.
“Claudia, hey,” said Anders, feeling more eager to talk this time. The dog, which looked to be vaguely Beagle-like, sniffed the moistened cuffs of Anders’ pants. Anders smiled.
“Back from a night out with friends again?” Claudia approached Anders, wrapping the handle of her dog’s leash around her forearm.
“No. I was just… out for a walk in the woods. How long have I been gone?” Anders squeezed his eyelids shut, realizing it hadn’t really sounded the way he’d wanted it to. “I mean… what time is it?”
Claudia smiled patiently before taking out her glittery, pink-cased cell phone from her pocket. “It’s a quarter to eight. Just about.”
“Oh. I’ve been out here for a while,” Anders mused, realizing he’d forgotten to bring his phone.
“You alright?” asked Claudia, raising her eyebrow.
“I’ll be okay. I just needed… y’know… an escape,” Anders shut his eyes again, pressing his thumb in the divot between his eyebrows and the bridge of his nose, grasping for any sense of coherence. In Anders’ mind, Claudia would certainly think he was crazy now, if she didn’t already.
When Anders opened his eyes, Claudia remained there, looking up at him intently.
“Sorry. I’ve been kind of out of it today,” Anders sighed, noticing that Claudia’s expression changed to one of concern.
“Hey, it’s alright,” said Claudia, softening her tone. “My friends are over right now.” She pointed to her house, whose interior was too far away for Anders to make out. “But you know – if you ever need me – I’m here.”
Claudia sounded sincere, but perhaps she was now speaking with sympathy. Anders could tell by the way her voice would pitch up a little at the beginning of each breath.
“Oh. Um, thank you.” Anders couldn’t really manage to say anything beyond that. And in an instant, Claudia was back inside. She probably wouldn’t give him another thought.
There was a weird absence again, now that Anders was alone. The wind picked up, blowing Anders’ hair in front of his face. He tucked a few loose strands behind his ears and sunk deeper into his father’s jacket. Speaking of which – his parents must have come home while he was away. Anders took note of his dad’s blue Wrangler in the driveway.
In the frigid, quiet darkness, Anders suddenly found himself drawn to the streetlights. Their ambient humming noise was ever present whenever he was alone out here, but Anders never gave it much thought. This time, the sound felt… jarring. Anders figured it was just a surge of electricity or something along those lines. After all, the infrastructure in the town was a little out of date.
He hesitated going inside. Everything was fine inside. It would be warmer. Brighter. More personable. But he lingered on his porch for a moment, just watching the sky darken, listening to the crackling static around him.
As Anders looked across the row of houses on his block, he saw dimmed lights through curtained windows. It was rather lonely.
At least he had the company of the streetlights, which shone quite effectively despite their broken mechanics. In the isolated sky, they shone for him and only him.