Author S. K. Nicholas

Before my night shift, I’m sat in the smoking shelter with the stray cat that’s been hanging around work these past few weeks. Jumping up next to me, we sit watching people going to and from the bar across the road while I occasionally stroke his nose. In silence, we keep each other company as the town stirs to life. Closing my eyes, I imagine the two of us sailing the seas in a small boat bathed in moonlight. The ebb and flow of life calling to us from far away, the waves take us deep into the ocean, and we are happy, happier than you could imagine. At some point, while we’re lost in dreams, she comes and joins us; the one who looks at the floor when I smile at her. She smiles too, but so shyly like it’s almost a secret. Everything is gentle, and as we sway to the music of Beach House, I think about her pierced nipples and how I would go about sucking them. The sky reminds me of a painting by Van Gogh, the one with the fields of corn and a flock of crows flying above it. Breathing in, the cat hops onto my lap and continues eyeing up those ready for their night out. Leaning back and placing her hands into the icy waters, the stars spell out our names separated by an arrow pierced heart. Lanterns burning on distant shores then rising to the heavens, my loneliness has left me replaced by the warmth of childhood summers. So many galaxies that dance behind her eyes; so many dreams that pass between us as the cat gazes at the moon enchanted by its nocturnal mysteries. These moments, they take me places others seldom can. As it begins to rain, I stroke my friend and tell him I have to leave. Narrowing his eyes in acceptance, I soon depart, although the vision stays with me. Once you let the magic in, it will only grow, as does her smile as we walk hand in hand through those fields of corn. The night never ends, and neither do we.