She stood on the edge of the metal fence, smiling, ready for someone to tell her to jump or go back or to start again.
Readying herself she breathed in, sucking air up her spine. In many ways she had been ready for this moment since the day of her birth. The ensuing years had been preparation at best, onslaught at worst, and she felt she had no more to offer a system that had blighted her so determinedly.
She exhaled, wafting the lazy waves of half baked anxiety away on the wind, ready for their casual snake round and up and into the back of her head, as they always did, the hounds of self loathing laughing at her on the brink of every new discovery, blocking the light.
At last she opened her eyes, dazzled by the sunlight across the meadow in the city’s smokiest district. The plot had been bought by faceless men, and was due to be dug out, laced with explosives and bombed tomorrow before the sun rose again. Laughing she reminded herself of the good days, when land had felt sprawling and the adventures expansive, even endless.
On the horizon against the smoke she saw a swarm of ill defined business people beginning to gather at the concrete edge of the plot. Through the crowd she could sense his presence, and a wave of heady euphoria punched her in the stomach. She felt sick and dizzy, mesmerised and wet. She knew he would come.
Suddenly a wave of air from the sky slammed into her back and she jolted forwards, her arms and legs tensing ferociously to keep her welded to the steel beam overlooking the drop beneath. She suddenly began to wonder if this idea had been reckless and ill thought out. She wanted to go back to bed, to forget this scene had never happened, in the middle of the city’s smokiest district, for all the business people to see.
Laughing it off she tried to get down but a deeper instinct froze her to the spot. She was suspended between states of action and passivity, and as the sun glared down at her from on high she realised she was paralysed, naked and visible to everyone in a 5 mile radius, including the cars.
She had failed to be brave again. It was like yesterday’s version of her knew she would, even as yesterday she thought out this radical plan, glitching with excitement. Fixing a smile now, she stayed rooted still, hoping the fuss would altogether die.
Eventually she cracked open an eye. She couldn’t make out any of their faces, apart from his. After all, his eyes always had a particularly enigmatic clash of yellow and blue-gray, like a lion’s. She wanted him to devour her, and fantasised regularly about his teeth on her neck. She could see through the weeds and dust that there were some footprints in the red clay. It dawned on her that the very act of suicide was merely a failed cliche.
Then a shadow fell across her face. The sun was blocked by a figure emanating a dense, soot like black, like the source, or a cosmic suction. The sun framed his matted hair, the wisps of fraying nylon static against his decaying suit jacket. He had come.
“Hello?” She bleated, a flush rising up her neck like a cry for help. She knew this was nearing the end and she was wildly delighted to see him.
He didn’t answer, but reached his hand out to feel her stomach. Her jaw unclenched, her muscles unknotted and her arms reached out instinctively to clutch at his shoulders, her form falling into his like a perfect mould. A moan escaped her lips.
From on high the sun roared and belched. Seated in the office window at the top of the conglomerate tower consigned to lithium and gas, you could barely make out a figure leaping into the depths of the construction pit.
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There’s a crusty diamond in the dungeon that’s called frazzled, visiting her at work made me envious of her staff discount, wish I could walk out wearing all those clothes and afford everything I ever wanted, it isn't even that nice, yes it is, is it designer, is it on sale, is brick lane laughing at me, I got fired this week, I can’t afford to be late for work, so why are you always late? She tells my dad when he brings me a sandwich because I can’t afford to eat out again, this meal that thing, cursed wanting endless, is it my fault I’m an adrenaline junkie, stealing other people’s energy and/or time to fund my own corruption, but is it as corrupt if you’re an AFAB non-conformist, really I think it looks great on you you should wear it everywhere, fantasy never as good as the real deal, if I had more things to go to I’d be less obsessed with the way I look, have you been downstairs it’s got even more expensive, sorry it didn't work out, climbing to the top of the building to look at the view and all I can think of are the houses I’ll never be able to buy, if it was up to me I’d have massive warehouse windows that look like an old factory, hustle harder only to fall on the floor.
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