On my way to work last night, I was chased by a badger. At first, I heard its paws on the concrete, and then as I turned the corner, the black and white of its fur came flashing into view beneath a streetlight. Sidestepping out of its way, it changed direction and charged. Pounding the pavement behind me, we ran through a quiet residential street before it gave up and dived into someone’s front garden and out of sight. Stopping to catch my breath, for a moment I wondered if it had all been in my head. It hadn’t, though, for it could still be heard rustling around in the undergrowth as I was resumed my journey. Stopping off for a packet of smokes a short time later, there were two girls ahead of me in line at the kiosk. Pretending not to look, I could see the tall one smiling at me. She was leggy, and her cute features made we want her, but I’ve grown weary of such liaisons. They get you nowhere. Refusing to acknowledge her, when the two of them left, I breathed in her lingering scent and imagined taking her from behind. These images stayed with me for a few hours. I miss being with a woman, but writing is more important. Can’t allow myself to get sidetracked anymore, because if I do, my words will come under threat, and that can’t be allowed to happen. Not after how much effort I’ve put into them over the past two years. It’s a strange thing to ponder; how in the beginning I was using words to try and win over a girl, and now I’m clinging to them purposefully avoiding romantic attachment. Lover’s want devotion, but my art is sacred, and it won’t settle for second best. If a woman came into my life with a love of words and a fondness for Twin Peaks, maybe I’d comprise. If she read Bukowski and listened to the Manic Street Preachers, I’d probably propose on the spot. But until then, it’s business as usual. I wonder what the badger’s up to right now; if it’s still in the town somewhere, or it’s made its way back to the countryside. And I wonder if the leggy girl got lucky as she danced the night away in a sea of dissolving faces. I hope so.
Author S. K. Nicholas 
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