Ned

Ned could smell the incense from down the street. He wondered when the new fortune telling business came into the neighbourhood, and then how he had been talked into taking an appointment. In his mind there was something seedy and embarrassing about the whole business - having his palm read and whatnot, still, his sister had bought him the visit, so he may as well use it. He walked, his thoughts returning to Stacy, then told himself to remember that there were other things in this world apart from her; though, if he was honest, it didn’t feel like it, so commanding was her hold on his life and that wasn’t good. And then, suddenly, a car swerved, almost colliding into him, sent him spinning, the road hitting him hard in the head. He looked up and saw stars, tiny pin pricks winking at him, the night revolving, and then the whole picture was replaced by a woman’s face, pixyish and beautiful.

‘Hey, are you alright, mister? You could’ve got killed; goddamn a*****e nearly ran you right over! Mister, are you ok?’

He looked up, his head aching.

‘Can you get up?

‘I think so.’

‘Here, you want a hand?’

‘No…uh…maybe, yes…’

He tried lifting himself but it was no use, and then another car screeched passed and he heard the sound of a woman yelling, then realised that it was the pixy woman, looked up and tried to move and got dizzy, felt himself likely to throw up.

‘Mister, you don’t look so good, maybe I should call an ambulance…’

He looked up at the sky, forced himself into a sitting position, felt the pain in the back of his head.

‘I’m fine.’

He rolled himself onto all fours, then felt two hands take his armpits, and he got to his feet, looked up and went to thank her but she had already turned away, a purple dress revealing good legs. He watched her walk off then remembered his appointment, started walking, got off the road and felt the ache in his head, walked into the local chemist and bought a packet of paracetamol, took two from out of the packet and had them with water in a plastic cup, then made it back out onto the street.

He could feel the head-ache subsiding, and then he remembered Stacy, thoughts of her making his mood worse. He could feel himself clamming up at the thought of her.