Doobie read somewhere about these crazy monks in ancient China, or was it Japan, that used to walk for miles and miles every day as a practice in meditation and to better appreciate the moment. For them the act of walking was like a form of prayer, a beautiful, holy, and one hundred percent human act. Doobie really thinks they were onto something.
For Doobie, walking helps him think and concentrate on the issues at hand, and forget the issues that are out of hand, but no matter what it helps him get grounded. It's the rhythm of the footsteps, the frequency of the gait, and the coordination of the arm swings, everything about it helps reconnect him. Sometimes Doobie needs to walk for miles before he starts to feel normal again, ten thousand two hundred and seven steps to be exact (and still counting) in a sort of suspended Zen-like stupor, all brought about by a joint of the One Hit Wonder to the head.
He can't even remember the start of the walk, although he knows it had to have started somewhere, most likely at his house. All of a sudden Doobie found himself enclosed in a soundproof glass museum case, and the whole world seemed so far away. It was right there in front of him but was still about a million miles away. He knew he had to just start walking with blinders on and without a thought about where he might be going. Just walk and walk, trying not to look too lost or too stoned, and hopefully, nobody would try to talk to him.
But Doobie doesn't remember any part of the walk except for the ten thousand two hundred and twenty-six steps, and it's three hours later and he's on the other side of town.
He decides he must have been following the train tracks because he's walking along with them now, or hopping from tie to tie, counting each footfall. Ten two twenty-nine, ten two-thirty. He wonders how long he's been following the tracks. It's like he lost consciousness for the past three hours like he's been sleepwalking and woke up all the way across town. It was just three hours ago and suddenly it's now.
But now is as good a place to be in as any.
Ten thousand two hundred and forty.
Ten thousand two hundred and forty-one.
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Nothing to See Here
Short StoryThese are short stories, flash and microfictions, most less than 500 words, the longest about 1500 words. Short, funny, and sometimes fun. Sometimes pointed and sometimes pointless. These stories have been described as eclectic, quirky, and sometime...
