Wednesday 20 August 2014

Scenes from Prague Part 2



The Clock Tower
The clock on the church tower showed the world that it was exactly 6pm, the hands in an exact straight line like a solider standing to attention. Fine drip drops of rain fell, feeling like little needles on the skin but you couldn’t really say it was raining, more that rain was in the air. The sun was still high in the sky and when it sneaked out from behind the clouds it was still frizzling hot despite the evening hour. Morgan lay in bed listening to the sounds of the street below - the low rumble of distant thunder that suggested the rain would get heavier, the slam of car doors, the murmur of chatter of people coming home, the clatter of a motorbike and the rattle of scooters being ridden down the street along with shriek of happy children riding them. Typical sounds of her suburb. They’d call it a quiet area in real estate blurbs, but the constant hum of people living their lives meant it was far from quiet. Not that Morgan minded, the hum of life was somehow comforting, a perfect backdrop to a perfect afternoon nap that had followed a perfect afternoon in bed with Tony.


Sadness
It was a day when no one looked happy. The holiday making couple who'd stopped for a coffee looked like they were on the holiday from hell, every suggestion he made of what to do next was met with rolled eyes from her. The two middle-aged shoppers puffed their cheeks out and rubbed their aching feet, sighing loudly. The mother with the pram looked like she was teetering on the brink of a nervous breakdown - one more literal toy thrown from a pram would bring a metaphorical toy throwing. The businessman spoke earnestly into his mobile phone, his brow furrowed, his eyes burning intensely, he looked like he was about to burst too. They say smiles are contagious but today it was the frown that was catching, the scowl that spread like wildfire and the sigh that was infectious. 

2 comments:

  1. What a striking difference between the moods in both descriptions. Serenity and peace of mind versus stress and tension, Excellent!

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  2. The Clock Tower is my favourite scene from Prague.

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