literature

Manhattan in Purple

Deviation Actions

billionaaron's avatar
By
Published:
165 Views

Literature Text

Walter enters his apartment, leaving Manhattan behind him. He lights a match and lights a fire. Sitting down in his chair, the one he always sits in, he looks for meaning in the furniture; finding nothing, all he wants to do is pour a drink. The fire burns low while he remembers the world.
Walter moves to the kitchen. There, he pulls the faucet and gets his hands in the water. All he needs to do is wet his face.
Walter remembers being young, remembers youth. He remembers the first night he met his wife, Marsha. At the top of a skyscraper, he grabbed her close. Calling out to the wind, in Seattle, he said, “We love each other and that's why we're dong this.”
That was twenty years ago. She died last April. As Walter cried at the funeral, he remembered that day and what she said back to him, “Please, let us be together, Walter, just for tonight!”
Walter moves to his bedroom to pour a drink. Under the bed he finds a box of photos; he sees his life spread across a stack of paper and ink, but he feels nothing. Walter sits by the fire and burns the photos by the handful, and he feels nothing. He burns the empty box last.
Walter lays on the couch and falls asleep, drunk, a warm room on a cold night.
Comments0
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In