Flash Fiction

She lived a very different life. Ordered. Structured. But different from what? It had always been this way. Hadn't it? As she arose from another night of restless sleep, she once more pondered the question. Before doing anything of the day sat delicately on the edge of the bed and thought it over. Letting the water from the shower rain down on her she puzzled at it. There was a little respite from the nagging while she performed the more mundane of her daily tasks. On the train, fully dressed in a crisp business suit with a pair of slightly uncomfortable, pinching purple court shoes she stared through the other commuters close around her. The thought pressed in again. What was it? What was causing her such concern. She mechanically reached for her phone but stopped mid action. She had made a decision and tomorrow she would act on it.

The following morning, she arose before the buzzing alarm, in fact she hadn't even set the alarm. The water from the shower refreshed rather than drowned her. The were no mundane tasks, her mind felt clear and alert. She dressed, not in the restrictive business clothes but to reflect how she felt, light and without a care. At the station she joined the rush of commuters, she could feel their oppression. As she waited for her regular train she heard a random compliment, from a random stranger. she turned to see who had complimented her. She saw a shabby looking businessman in a dishevelled suit, he stared through her. He clearly had not said anything. Then she heard another complain that she was in his way. She turned, he stared blankly. She then noticed that the oppression she sensed in the rush of the crowd was increasing as the train approached the station. It became close to unbearable as they pushed on into the carriage. The large overweight woman in the seat next to her pressed her sweating arms against her light chiffon dress. And she could hear her thoughts. And they were unpleasant. At each station the train collected more passengers. By the time she reached her destination, by the simple power of concentration she could clearly hear the thoughts of those who came within a few feet of her. Work was uncomfortable, especially the thoughts on the way she had dressed. The journey home a nightmare. She discarded the day and headed early to bed.

The day after she woke with the alarm, dressed in the restrictive business clothes, the uncomfortable shoes and slowly completed the morning chores. She would live a very different life. Ordered. Structured. In time she would forget why.