You hear a sound ...

... you hear a sound, and look around. Throngs of people have started to run down the streets and conglomerate at the same spot. You move slowly, and can't see anything because of the crowd. You approach, partly out of curiosity and partly out of concern, and all the indistinguishable words morph into phrases such as "Is she ok" "What happened" "Did you see anything" "What can we do" "Move so I can see more clearly" "She seems to be in pain" "Will it spread". They are repeated over and over again. Seconds ... minutes pass, and you still have no idea what everyone is screaming about.

Soon, mainly out of boredom, but also partly because of selfishness, the crowd drifts aways, leaving only their shadows behind. You approach her, and see her broken on the ground. But there is nothing you can do alone. You take a few steps backwards, and then just turn and leave. You leave humanity to tend to itself.

posted by Lazarus, 4:16 PM