Short Stories By Carlos C. Palma

She walked aimlessly along the streets. The whiz of cars passing by eager to get home were all but just a backdrop to the thoughts racing inside her head. She slowly raised her arms and brought the viewfinder to her left eye. She composed the scene as best she could. She wanted to so blindly just keep on clicking. But that would be stupid. Into the heart of the city she dared to venture. Crossing streets, following sidewalks, it was all just a game. She was looking for that perfect shot. From a distance, she could hear the thunderous roar of midnight traffic. Everyone wanted to get home to rest. It was after all a work day. She thought about the man who was wandering to his car in the slow drizzle of rain. ‘he must enjoy life’ she remembered thinking. She envied him. Here she was trying to capture something particular about life and she struggled. She missed that chance to take a snap shot of the guy walking in the rain. And then it happened.

Right before her eyes. She quickly composed the image in her head. Brought the camera quickly to her eye. SNAP. One image down. SNAP* SNAP*.  She was just randomly clicking as best she could. There it was the beauty and tragedy of life.

She opened her eyes as the sun’s rays were piercing her already half-open eyelids. It was morning. She awoke at exactly the same time every day, regardless of the day. 6AM on the button. She wondered why she even bothered with an alarm clock.

She had a routine down. Get up, stretch for 5 minutes, get out of the cotton pajamas, take a quick shower for exactly 30 minutes. (She found it amusing that the fastest time she could take a bath would be 30 minutes as she felt the need to really scrub away the dead skin from her body, or in her terms “exfoliate”.) Walk down the steps calmly with cellphone and purse in hand, counting each step careful not to skip one, and plop down for a quick breakfast of oatmeal and fruits. A glass of orange juice sits atop the counter directly 11 o’clock of the plate.

The beautiful Isabella, bathe in glorious sunshine, sits alone on the kitchen counter eating her breakfast. She needs structure. She craves structure. She embodies structure.

But Isabella has a little secret. She wanted some freedom. She quietly wishes for that spur of the moment adventure. But she just doesn’t know if she could take it.

This is her story. She wants to define her existence not by the events that unfold before her but rather through the choices she makes.

She has awakened.