The Little Things

It was dawn.  A bright, cold winter’s day.  Martin rose with the sun, fed Onyx the cat, put on his jacket and scarf and headed off for the village.

 

Martin walked in the clear, new sunlight along the path by the river.  Where it was very shallow, he stopped and listened to the water gurgling and laughing over the rocks.  He watched the sunlight dance on the water.

 

Martin walked in to the village.  When he was near the bakery he stopped, closed his eyes and smelled the warm aroma of baking bread in a long, indulgent breath.

 

Martin went inside and bought a loaf, fresh and warm.

 

Outside, Martin wandered along slowly, looking down.  There were all sorts of minerals in the cement of the footpath.  They glittered as he moved.

 

Martin walked out to the house of Rubber the E Raiser and his wife, Tahoma.  He sat with them at their huge, ancient kitchen table.  Sunlight through the window splashed a square of gold on the rough woodwork.  It shone on the honey as Martin dripped it on his bread, making it look like the honey had its own light.  They ate the loaf of bread together with mugs of hot coffee.

 

Martin worked with Rubber out in his fields of E’s.  He stopped from time to time, just to feel the cool breeze blowing on his warm skin. 

 

After lunch, Martin sat with Rubber and Tahoma in a deep, comfy chair and pointed his feet, clad only in old socks, toward the fire.  After talking for a while, Martin snoozed in his chair, feeling the warmth of the fire on the soles of his feet.

 

After dinner, Martin began to walk home.  He could smell rain coming and put the hood up on his jacket.  The rain began soon after.  Martin took the long way home though.

 

It was raining steadily when Martin stood on top of the footbridge over the railway lines at the station.  It was dark.  The rain was only visible under the lights on the station’s only platform.  The station was a golden little oasis in the dark.  A huge tree was partly lit by the platform lights.  Diamonds slowly dripped from its leaves.

 

Martin arrived home.  He hung up his wet coat and fed Onyx the cat. 

 

He went to bed.  Onyx jumped on the bed and curled up at his feet.

 

As he drifted off to the sound of the rain on his roof, Martin thought surely he lived in the most beautiful place in the whole world.

 

He wondered, as he did a hundred times a day since he watched that train take Rebecca away, why anyone would want to leave…