Something Different
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...