I left the books for a second time that day and blinked as I stepped out into the late afternoon sunshine from the subdued and almost reverent atmosphere inside the library. Not knowing what to do next I stood still, looking up and down the street as people carried their lives forward; visiting shops, going to the post office, or heading home maybe, and stopping to chat to their friends on the way. My life, in cruel contrast, had been halted.
My feet began to take me without purpose or knowledge along the street; not heading anywhere in particular, but carrying on anyway. The tears left my eyes without warning, my footsteps sped up in reaction and I turned my face away from anyone I passed. I bowed my head, my aim to become invisible hurrying me along and turning me towards the little par
