night walk
Even the night is still alive with the lights and humming of cars and motorcycles; little kids enjoying themselves in the playground accompanied by their parents or they are the ones accompanying the adults walking back home. There's never a fixed bedtime, even in New Year's Eve, hundreds if not millions make themselves awake at night to let time pass by but then the context is: it is a special occasion. That's why let themselves remain awake while Today is no special occasion. It's a random Thursday night and I randomly decided to step outside from my room, walking outside with no direction, making it up along the way.
I'm thinking I'm crazy, it's 8:30pm, why would anyone walk at this time? so I told myself this will be short. With feelings of hesitation, I stepped onto the thin gravel pavements that stood next to a wide road. At first, I walked north then hesitated when I saw two men walking past by me; I slowly followed them until they disappear, averting their direction, I knew this direction, I have gone through it by bus or car, the path is both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. Just with not the same speed and perspective of view.
It's a straight, monotonous pathway with the same trees and square-block stones set as pavements for a good two kilometers. Every so-and-so minutes there will be an entrance to buildings, it'd be a housing complex without any trace of human from the well-lit windows or a deserted hostel, while I have to keep an eye out for a car turning for entry or not. As I walk, I'm making up a destination along the way eventually settling on the lakeside except I don't know where that is.
The sounds of the cars were unforgiving. That instant I thought how terrifying it would be if that same vehicle were to collude my body. And to think, I was one of their passengers going through this same path in greater speed and comfort. When I saw herd of cyclists going through the same road, feelings of initial hesitation trickled down even if it was a bit. These cyclists chose to cycle the same time I chose to walk at the very same pathway. These sights accompany me until I realize I've went further than I was supposed to go.
As to keep it short, I arrived on the lakeside, surprised to see there were few people on the lakeside. I sat on this bench while a couple sat on the grass across the lake with dim lights at the back. There's nothing visible on the lake so I looked up at the night sky. There so happened to be a plane passing by right on top of my head. The world suddenly feels enormous, almost an adrenaline rush, paying off all the troubles I went through to arrive here. The thought eventually dies off by the realization that I now have to walk back that same, enduring path.