The setting sun lazily cast its last rays over a small, deserted alley in a small, deserted town. Soft summer breeze gently stroked the rusted street lamps and startled the raccoon digging his way through the garbage on the side of the alley. The air was heavy and dull and soaked with the day’s warmth. In a place like this, time had no meaning any more, but Sun danced its daily dance nonetheless.
Soon, darkness took over and covered the streets with scents of the night. Somewhere deep in the alley, a small light flickered. After few attempts, the light-bulb accepted its ill faith and stopped trying, with a dull sound that marked its last breath.
An old man sighed as the bulb went dead. He had no spares, and the last candle he had melted on the midday sun yesterday. He sat there in silence, surrounded by the night, unable to move, breathe or think. He was tired of life and desired some sort of relief; tranquillity of different sort.
He was a young man when he first moved into this town. It was a vibrant, fresh, fun place at the time and those were exactly the attributes he would have given to himself, if anyone ever asked. He met a girl, got married, had kids; opened a small bakery and worked as hard as any man or woman ever did. He bought a house on the outskirts of the town and raised his children there. He enjoyed sunsets, sitting on a swing in a warm embrace with his wife, on the porch behind the house. He planted an oak tree for each of his four kids. He took them to the river and taught them how to love life as much as he did back then.
But that very same life made sure to set his mind straight. It taught him all about loss and suffering. He lost his wife and a youngest child in a flood that hit the town. Then there were the fires, just three years after that. His kids moved out to the biggest cities they could find, and the farthest ones. Soon, most young people in the town followed and the town itself started dying out, house by house, street by street, until there was nothing left. Even the outsiders had no need to drive through the town with the new highway system.
Before he knew it, he was among the last people in the town, and soon, he was the last one. He had no desire to leave, but didn’t really want to stay either. At this age, even the thought of moving in with one of his sons in some big, unknown city scared him. So, he sat there in the dark, wondering about Life and its little games he didn’t understand. He had all the time in the world to get lost in the memories, both nice and sad ones.
Morning came, he didn’t notice. Light barely touched the inside of what used to be his bakery these days. He couldn’t bear to live in the house all alone, so he moved here… long, long time ago. He wondered if his sons ever came to look for him in the house? Would they think of coming here? Would he hear their calls? Would he answer?
He sat there and wondered. The air was heavy and dull and soaked with the day’s warmth. In a place like this, time had no meaning any more, but Sun danced its daily dance nonetheless.
.
