
A Bench In Denver’s Union Station
This fictional slice was conceived after a visit to Denver’s Iconic Union Train Station. I observed a woman as she sat on a bench, lost in thought. I imagined what this woman might be thinking while waiting for her lover to arrive, if indeed that was who she was waiting for. So many unknowns, and I am attempting to create that feeling here for my readers. I imagine this will be revised with time, but I wanted to get some initial thoughts down. -Keith
She sat there. Just waiting. The echoes in the train station oddly gave her comfort as time moved so slowly. Waiting. Moments of silence as the waning echoes gave her anxiety, but not for long. What would it be like to see him again after all these years? What had become of him, and had time treated him well? And why, really, was she here again, waiting?
The thoughts spiraled through time and spiraled through the whistles of the trains.
Many lovers have been in this same position, surely this same bench, and perhaps a similar predicament. Yet actually living this moment brought a different perspective. If only the tiles on the shiny waxed floor could speak. What advice would they give her? Would they take her to be a fool?
It had been ten long years since Marlene had said goodbye to Charles, Charlie as she liked to call him. Ten years since she felt that empty space consume her and take so long to ignore. She hadn’t forgotten his last facial expression as he promised her the moon and stars and called their love real.
Another train whistle.
Another stroll around the desolate station. Waiting. Wondering. Weary.
Back to the bench. How she craved the echoes now.
Oohh…you captured the mystery and the agony of the unknown, the angst of having made a decision but still unsure if you made the right one. I love the alliteration of the words “Waiting. Wondering. Weary.” Setting each of those words off with their own periods really gives an extra heaviness to the words that creates a weight in my gut as I read them. What an imagination you have!
LikeLike
I’m waiting for more of this story! The words you carefully chose were spot on in creating an image and feelings of anticipation for the reader.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great story! It was good to get your thoughts down before they evaporated. Please continue…
LikeLiked by 1 person
The power of the punctuation to speak volumes. Isn’t that where a story begins? Seeing something then pondering the what ifs. Who knows this could be the next big YA novel. You could be the new John Green. We won’t know unless you continue to play with the words. Write on!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your opening paragraph says so much. I sense she has waited for him before. It makes me want to hear more. What a wonderful lesson for all writers on the power to observe and wonder and create.
LikeLiked by 1 person