It was minutes since the sun had gone, yet the streetlights hadn’t turned on. The houses were quiet and there was no sign of any cars. She shut her eyes and listened. Nothing. A slight breeze. None of the usual sounds – birds, people, technology. Normally, she’d hear the highway in the distance, or the clanging of the level crossing bells as a train approached. She felt uneasy and wondered what she should do. Should she call someone? To say what? ‘Everything’s stopped?’
She walked to the middle of the oval and lay on her back. Even the sky was quiet. No moon, no stars. And then a few drops of rain. The sound of the rain hitting her face seemed to break the spell and everything started again. Sadly, she stood and went home.
I like that she is sad that the spelll is broken. How nice it would be if everything did stop from time to time … even just for a few moments.
I agree. I think when I wrote that I was feeling that longing for peace. And time. Never enough of either of those.