The Incubus

Chapter 2, Scene 1

Simon inhaled deeply. He loved the fresh smell of early morning air. There was a certain sense of purity in the early morning breeze that one wouldn't find after the rush-hour smog.

Coffee, Simon thought. That's what I'll start my day with.

It was his day off and he wanted to savour every moment of it. 'Where to begin,' he said as he looked in both directions up and down the road. He figured that he would get started with a fresh cup of coffee and a muffin at a local coffee shop. From there it would be a movie followed by a few hours' worth of reading in the park. The mall then, he thought. It's closer to the movie theatres.

'Good morning,' he greeted a jogger. She frowned and side-stepped him before jogging away without returning the greeting.

It's sad what this world has come to, Simon thought, that two strangers simply couldn't greet each other anymore.

He took another deep breath and continued his stroll down the sidewalk. Simon wondered how many people stopped for a moment to admire the beauty in a few golden rays of sunlight as it passed through the leaves of overhead trees. He wondered how many people even stopped to notice the cheerful chirping of the birds as they announced the birth of a new day. At street level, rush-hour traffic was slowly building up. Simon just shook his head at the expressionless faces in the cars that drove past him.

Solomon was right. All this is truly a pursuit of wind; a mad rush for nothing.

Even though he too was part of the proverbial "rat race," he never considered himself to be one of the rats. Simon only did what he did for a living in order to pay the bills at the end of the month. He found greater satisfaction in the smaller things in life. He especially loved helping people. The real pleasure was in changing lives; especially when they weren't aware of it. It was the thrill of seeing people's lives altered for better that motivated and drove him. He never once considered a financial award for what he did, and would never accept any if ever offered. In a way, he felt like a super hero: Mild mannered computer geek at day; defender of the innocents at night.

Simon chuckled. Defender of the innocents. Yeah right.

He continued his stroll toward the mall at a lazy pace, soaking in the beauty of his surroundings. When he reached a small patch of flowers, Simon stopped. He hunched down next to the flowers and picked one.

'Samantha,' he said as he smelled the flower.

Rolling the little stem of the flower between his thumb and forefinger, Simon stood up and continued walking.