Friday walk
30 March 2018
The wind caressed her face as she looked onward into the horizon walking slowly. The sun was high up in the sky and she could hear birds all around her. In the street below she could see people walking with what seemed to be a sense of purpose. Some of them were the gardeners that worked in the houses around and some were the maids that were either running errands or on their way to meet each other. It was a sunny laid back Friday like many others she had witnessed from her room. She watched them for what seemed an eternity.
Suddenly one of the maids lifted her head and saw her. She stopped right in her tracks and beckoned to one of the persons passing by. Both then looked up at her. She lifted her gaze again and watched the birds as they flew from one tree to another in the distance. They had cut all the trees in her garden so the birds did not fly around the house that much anymore. She looked at the sun which was now slowly on the way to setting. In the street below she could hear the interest build up. She shifted slightly, changing her posture and a gasp went through the crowd that had gathered below. She looked down again and could see the row of faces turned towards her, watching her every move.
In the distance she could hear a police car which seemed to be approaching. A few moments later she saw the police car with its siren on pull into the street and stop in front of her house dispersing the crowd. A policeman came out of the car. « You need to come down Madam. You cannot stay there » he said. She stared at him and looked back at the sun that was setting. The police officer reiterated his request. She looked down at her legs. The ledge on which she was standing was quite narrow. She took a step forward and then another. She could feel herself float through the air and then all went dark as an excruciating pain shot through her jaw, hand and torso. She shut her eyes. The crowd closed in on her.
Sarajevo – Max Richter
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