The Time Between Seconds

The Walk Home

Lucy slumps down in her seat, it had been a long day. The train-station, out the window, is brightly lit and half-alive with wondering people, but outside in the open air she knows it's poring with rain. It'll be a long walk home, she thinks, but before she can over think any of it, the train jolts away. Lucy starts following the rain drops with her eyes, as they make their way down the window pain, and before long the train had reached her stop.

The night air is cold, as Lucy walks out of the station. She pulls her jacket tightly around her body and takes out her fold-able umbrella. Lucy always makes a point of packing her umbrella, no matter her husband's friendly mockery about the ugly old thing. Opening the umbrella, she starts with her walk home.

After a while, the wind picks up and icy rain is blown into her face. Lucy takes a second to recover, but before she can the street lamps flicker off – she stops in her tracks. They flicker back on again. Lucy looks around, from side to side, suddenly feeling uneasy and then spots a dark figure, at a distance, behind her.

Lucy clutches her umbrella tightly and tries to calm herself, only to look back once again and see the figure approaching. She walks faster and turns into her street. Not far from home, she reminds herself. Glancing back every few steps, she waits for the figure to reappear – it doesn't. Starting to feel a little better she walks up the steps to her front door and unlocks it, only to look down the street and see the figure approaching. She quickly opens the door and locks it behind her, filled with fear once again. But, without delay, someone starts fiddling in the lock. Paige stands frozen and watches as the doorknob turns.

In walks her husband, who had pulled his hood over his head, but had gotten drenched by the rain without fail. Paige bursts out laughing, realizing what had happened. He always did mock her little umbrella.