#broad light

[fliilights-blog]

Broad Light Shot

Lite by: FLII

[trigsolo]

Evelynn and Mary

I’m a fairly slow writer who has trouble banging out more than two hundred words in a day, so this was an awfully good exercise. Much thanks to @caffeinewitchcraft for hosting.

It was a bright blue morning on a Tuesday when I went up to Broad Light. I hadn’t been there so much in fifteen years--the old smell of fried treats and the warmth of the sunset rolling over me--but I had been called there for a job, and I’m not one to shirk a job. In the meantime, I’d been working as a bit of an illustrator out in quiet suburbia, though like any person, I did plumbing and other jobs of maintenance to keep the lights on. I was called to Broad Light by an old friend, the job being asked requiring my talents in the former line of work rather than the latter. I was not surprised to see my friend, formerly Eve but now Evelynn, in good living. She’s always been devastatingly intelligent and charming, able to make others see the world from her eyes just by speaking.

The work she wanted was for me to live in Broad Light once more and illustrate multiple parts of city in whatever way spoke to me. She didn’t explain why, and I didn’t ask. Growing up in her company had me learning fast that she preferred to keep her secrets secret. The deal itself was incredibly favourable for me, almost as a way of making up for the lack of explanation, so I took it. The opportunity to focus solely on my primary work was a rare one indeed. She had me situated in a rather lavish guest room looking out over Broad Light which proved to provide an incredible view at night.

I had been in a Broad Light for barely a week or so, spending most of my time walking around the city to familiarize myself to it when I realized that I wasn’t too far off from my neighborhood. It would have been only recognizable by street number, as the buildings had all been demolished some time ago. I had been notified of the fact by Evelynn when it had happened, that being the first time she had talked to me in months. The street was now filled with giants standing tall, and storefront signs. I entered a few of the buildings before making a brisk pace back to my living quarters.

Later that night, I related the experience to her over dinner. Evelynn was often busy, but she was not one to neglect a guest if she could. My nights more often than not involved a silent dinner, and access to the wide breadth of the refrigerator and pantry otherwise.

‘Yes, it was certainly an experience to see what was done with the space. Though, tell me, Mary, how is your inspiration for your illustration going?’

‘I’ve not quite got anything yet--it’s been a lot of of work to just become reacquainted with the city,’ I admitted, before adding,  ‘I figure I’ll be able to get a draft soon.’ Illustration was part of the deal for the living, after all.

‘Take your time,’ was all Evelynn said before the dinner lapsed into silence once more. By my word, I did sketch a draft for one by the next day--a sketch of the new view at my old street. However, it was fairly clear that there wasn’t much to it. Over the next few days, I attempted other subjects, from some pigeons on the pavement to the train station at a distance, to no avail. I spoke of my increasing frustration to Evelynn over our dinners that were becoming more common. It was cathartic to talk about it while she carefully and quietly listened, but my problems continued. After one particularly frustrating night of the failure piling on me, she spoke.

‘If you wouldn’t mind, I’d be glad to show you something. I find that it might assist you in your endeavors.’

I wasn’t about to turn the offer down. Soon enough, Evelynn had led me (with as little fanfare as she could manage) right over to a pier out from the city. From it, we had a view of Broad Light reaching up into the night, with an everlasting glow. Her hands rested on my shoulders for a second as she maneuvered me over to a specific spot of view. They rested there for a second, before lifting. We stood in silence, and not before long, she spoke softly, almost as if not wanting to disturb the air.

‘After you had left, and I was working like hell to get to where I wanted to be, I’d often come to just look out over the waters and see the city from here. Many things have changed, as I’ve lived here, but it’s never stopped being my city, messes and all.’

We stood there for a fair while, looking at the lights from all the buildings shift on and off. I wouldn’t be able to tell you how long--my grasp on time has never been the strongest, and the moment could almost be considered outside of time. Either way, it soon become colder than comfortable, and we made our way back home.