APW - Cafe Terrace at Night (830 hits)
Category: NoneLabels: APW
Rating: 2 on 13 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Susie Derkins (View user info) at 2006-03-08 09:54:13 EST
Ana closed her eyes and took a deep breath, taking in the first warm evening's breeze. It was a perfectly clear night in Paris and the people were out in droves enjoying the spring air. Casual conversations drifted by her as lovers, friends and families passed the terrace.
"Est-ce que je peux vous obtenir toute autre chose, mademoiselle? Oh...est-ce que je désolé, je suis vous ai effrayé?" The waiter looked at her with a concerned expression, sorry he had startled her.
"Ne vous inquiétez pas, je rêvassait. Je prendrai un café sil vous plait." The last thing she needed was another cup of coffee, but she needed something to do.
She'd been incredibly restless lately. She had been sitting in her apartment, staring unfocused at the wall behind the television. She was bored by it, bored by everything and felt the overwhelming urge to do....anything. She didn't know whether she wanted to scream or sing, dance or sleep, laugh or cry. She decided to leave before the walls closed in or talking purple leopards appeared.
Once on the street, she surprised herself by breaking into a run. Ana didn't like to run for anything, but she seemed to have lost conscious control of her body. Instinct had taken over. She felt that if she didn't start moving, and fast, she would go out of her mind. She dodged people and dogs as she pounded down the sidewalk. Her heart was hammering and her ears thundering, it seemed to make her feel a bit better. She ran for many blocks before she saw the café. It looked inviting, especially its chairs at this point. Breathing heavily, she sank into one as a waiter warily approached.
Perhaps it's spring fever, she thought. She'd been cooped up indoors for months and felt like a caged lion. She looked at the faces of people passing by, they were different than the ones she'd seen lately. These were smiling faces rather than the miserable ones of people sick of winter. The people on the terrace with her were relaxed, lazily sipping their coffee and enjoying conversation.
Still, Ana was tense. She couldn't figure it out, normally the arrival of spring made her happy like the others. This time was different, she was uneasy. She was in the open air, but she still felt confined. The café's terrace was getting busier and it felt threatening to her, she felt her throat starting to close.
She was on her feet, throwing money on the table as she fled. She streaked down the cobblestone road, stumbling a few times. People turned to stare, wondering what she was running from. Was she a thief running from a store? Was she a criminal running from the police? Was she a jilted lover, running from the one who broke her heart? Ana didn't notice any of them, their faces seemed a blur as she ran past. Her lungs were on fire, but she felt that if she stopped, the city would crash down upon her.
She was running through a park when she tripped. She threw her arms out in front of herself and finally focused on what was ahead: she was on top of a hill. When she finally landed, she had tucked her chin and covered her head with her arms. The world was blurry again as she tumbled and rolled down the seemingly endless hill. She came to a rest on her side at the bottom, groaned and flopped onto her back.
Ana kept her eyes closed, waiting for things to stop spinning. She was a bit banged up, but nothing felt broken. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Dark blue and white streaks spun clockwise, slowed and stopped. The moonless, starry sky greeted her.
Staring into infinity overwhelmed her at first: trying to comprehend distance, time and imagining what lay beyond the boundaries of the universe. She blinked and cleared those thoughts. Her eyes moved from star to star, watching them wink and change colour. She wondered if she stared long enough, she could watch one go nova. As she lay there bathed in starlight, she tried to ignore the science and just enjoy the view. She scanned the beautiful vista noting the biggest stars and which ones were more white or blue than others. If she focused on one star, all others would disappear in time. That idea calmed her and made her smile and feel like she could finally breathe again. She was unencumbered with not a soul around to crowd her thoughts. She closed her eyes again and began to dream.
"I have a terrible need of - dare I say the word? - religion. Then I go out at night to paint the stars." - Vincent van Gogh, Arles, 1888
User Reviews
Submitted by EmissionImpossible (user info) at 2007-12-18 09:04:44 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
lovely jubbly
Submitted by BranDo (user info) at 2006-03-09 18:00:50 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Encore, encore.
Submitted by ScotchTape (user info) at 2006-03-09 17:41:42 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Wonderful, absolutely wonderful...
Submitted by MyTeeOne (user info) at 2006-03-08 17:25:52 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by JonnyX (user info) at 2006-03-08 15:42:36 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by VelvetElvis (user info) at 2006-03-08 13:23:50 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Outstanding little story. It made me feel good. Her fall/semiconsciousness was almost a metaphor for awakening/rising. Brilliant, that.
Submitted by Susie_Derkins (user info) at 2006-03-08 12:11:20 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Thanks! I'm surprised I haven't gotten the auto APW -2 from Shlongy since he's anti-bandwagon. Although, he needn't feel obligated...
Submitted by TigerLilly (user info) at 2006-03-08 10:40:46 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Yes. I really liked this.
Submitted by HighVoltage900 (user info) at 2006-03-08 10:14:12 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by simple_catalyst (user info) at 2006-03-08 10:01:46 (#)
Ranking: 2
rockitlikeamasochist!
----
You have recieved my favorite simple_catalyst review. Congratulations!
Though the one where he says "I love you HighVoltage because you are fucking awesome and I will give you all my money and my possesions because of your genius." Is also a nice one.
I totally remember him saying that.
I think...
Submitted by icarus1987 (user info) at 2006-03-08 10:04:38 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Ah, Paris. The lights, the wine, the foolish American stereotype of men wearing silly berets...
Submitted by simple_catalyst (user info) at 2006-03-08 10:01:46 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
rockitlikeamasochist!
Submitted by Stagger_Lee (user info) at 2006-03-08 09:58:37 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
This is only edged out as 'my favourite APW post' by O-Tron's last one. Great work.
Submitted by redskieslookfake (user info) at 2006-03-08 09:56:12 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Good stuff.