Empty spaces

Empty spaces along the street, footprints and laughter all gone.

The emptiness invades me as I walk past the club towards the peer. It’s a dark, cold night. On the left, by the bridge, a group of homeless people gather around a whisky bottle. They stare at me, probably thinking I don’t belong. My clothes are not rags, compared to theirs. My hands are warm, I don’t need the whisky to warm me up inside. They keep staring at me. I hear low voices but I keep walking, faster and faster. The moment I reach the peer I look back. They are gone. There is no one there. The footprints are gone, the laughter is gone, the homeless are gone. Empty spaces, that’s all that is left behind.

I remember thinking I wish I could go back to that night, where emptiness was all I could see. Amongst the emptiness, I could still hear my heart beating. I can’t hear it anymore.