It is colder. I don’t feel it but I sense it and I see it in the air. It is there, in front of my face and, hunched against it, I walk.
I came here for a reason. I believed the city would prove a refuge but I am moving without regard for destination, relentlessly forging a wildly circuitous path but I can’t find my way.
The man is tall, freakishly so, and stopping I study him for a moment. He is moving purposefully and I am engaged and begin to follow. He is walking much more slowly than I and I have to stop again and watch and wait as he forges on ahead.
He leads me across a courtyard and on either side there are office blocks. I follow him from plaza to plaza and all is deserted. The reception areas are closed and the lighting has dimmed to an energy saving low level.
I gaze up at the night sky and the bulky air conditioning units on the rooftops loom dark and ominous. I shiver. I’m not cold but wish that I had a coat or at least a heavy sweater, something in which I could wrap myself.
The man’s clothes are ragged, as ragged as my own, and I suspect he is homeless. He is still moving at the same slow pace but I am struggling now to keep up.
We pass office blocks that now stand empty, there is no light from the windows and they are in varying states of disrepair. It is as if we are pushing against the edge of something and yet it is endless.
I have managed to move closer and he and I are walking together. We are almost in sync but the effort is incredible and I have to stop. This time I sit on the pavement and, stretching out my legs, I lean against the brick and watch him disappear.
The Brokedown Pamphlet 
Intriguing. You have created an interesting picture here which certainly gets the mind working.
Thanks you Chris – yes I did find this one tricky to write but I am glad you enjoyed it. Regards Mark.
Provocative perspective…imagining being dead. Almost had a touch of vertigo following this guy around today. The air kept changing density making waves in his frequency. Am I wrong to assume this ghost is male?
Vertigo yes. Christine and I went to see it last year at the BFI and were instantly pulled in again. All the duplicity and manipulation – film noir in bright and vivid colours – almost Lynchian to look at and I love the early scenes with James Stewart trailing the first incarnation of the Kim Novak character. Thank you Jana.
This feels like someone trying to keep up with their own expectations. Well, that’s my take anyway. I love that your writing gives me that kind of space.
Your take is really interesting and yes the character is running away from something. The theme here, I suppose, is the dilemma as to whether he will just keep going until he loses himself completely. Thanks Tony. How are things over at Crumblecult?
They’re pretty good, Mark, thanks for asking. I’m taking a break until late February, just to recharge the creative batteries and to get a few CC strips written.
I’m pleased to see you update again. I had wondered if you were taking a break yourself! 😀