Sapphic Pondering

Something was different. The bus stood stationary on the right side of the street. No vibration. No sound from the engine. Only the strong smell of gasoline.   The doors were closed, trapping inside the sweaty and exhausted passenger of the 5-pm route. Noises from the street became a muffled murmur behind glass windows. The air-conditioner was off, and the driver’s chair was empty. The ticket man, always perching on the railing near the doors, also disappeared. It was in this silence that Lan jerked back into consciousness. She had a kink in her neck and a faint red mark on her right cheek. She rubbed her eyes and stretched. Her joints didn’t pop like they did in the movies, she could never do that, but it did make her feel better. Her legs were numb, and her hard-cover dictionary was probably poking at her thighs through the thinning bottom of her backpack. She pushed it not-so-gently onto the seat next to her and crossed her legs. ‘Ugh! Annoying!’ – From the chair two row

rePLAY Pressed it again. Let the gray circle roll. Black screen, Lit up with the sun. Illuminate her face. Black irises. White glow. The Sun. Shiny and Bright.   Beautiful and Full of life. Even though it was on a screen. Just a fake. Was an electronic replica. But that was all she have. Pressed it again. And the gray circle rolled. Her eyes burns. But not her body. She touched the screen. Pretend that its warmth could reach her. Pretend to return. And replay those days. When there were light. And smiles. When there were friends. And love. Not darkness. Not cold. Not the stench of blood and death in her mouth. Not the hunger gnawing in her, calling her to kill. Not the fangs cutting into her lips. Get her away. Get her out. The Sun is Life. And she was not. She was not….