Lazy Friday Afternoon

The swift breeze cooled the air as I put my book aside, and returned my glasses to their case. I leaned back in the Adirondack chair and closed my eyes. Arms folded across my midsection I listened to the wind dance through the nearby wind chime. Soon, my thoughts were racing through the still of the afternoon.

A car drives by, unnoticed.

Below me on the sidewalk a dog travels on a leash. The owner is unknown as he or she makes no discernible sound. The dog's tags are the only evidence of their passing.

The wind picks up speed and the chimes move spasmodically in its grasp. I furrow my brow. Suddenly a jolt. A start. What was that? Shifting position slightly I hear dogs barking in the far off distance of my living room.

Eyes still closed...thoughts drifting slower and farther away.

A HORN!

Eyes open. Disoriented.

One of the neighbor's young friends has arrived and blown the universal cry for "Get out here" now. A door opens and closes. Car acceleration, the turnaround at the street's end and the return drive by.

The scent of lilac blooms fill my nose. Many flowers have bloomed. No sneezing. My allergies are abated thanks to drugs.

Eyes closed.

Breathing steady.

Slow.

Noise disappears.

Only the wind is heard through the chimes.

I'm drifting...

I am alone.

Thoughts jumbled...incomplete...

Nothing.