The Explorer

(X and Y) or (X and not Y) = X: Part I

It is debatable whether John found his way to the roof. He had exited into the stairwell, and just before he had started to go down, he had noticed the curious blue streak that paralleled the stair's ascent, like an angular upward helix. When did that get painted? It stopped abruptly at the edge of the landing he was on, but strangely, it didn't seem like a work in progress. Why would that be? He didn't know why it drew him on; he didn't even think about it as he followed it up. But he would eventually be bothered by the fact that he felt so compelled to investigate a perfectly explainable phenomenon.

The stairwell darked on his way up; and then, at the top, a solitary light bulb sentineled the door. It was slate gray and heavily scratched at the bottom. He looked back at the blue streak, and his eyes followed it to the doorjamb. It didn't stop there -- it appeared to cross through to the other side of the door...

The moment the knob turned in his hand and the door swung open, John felt like he had known all along that it was unlocked. Did they keep roof access doors unlocked much of the time? Surely not! He stepped out -- into light rain. He had forgotten...it was one of those days when you would like to wrap up behind a big window and watch. But this was a rare opportunity.

When he pivoted around the corner, he almost did a double take.

Sally was here.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" John kind of laughed, walking toward her. She smiled brightly, and almost seemed like she wasn't going to answer, still leaning in the corner a good thirty feet away. Fortunately, there was a wall around the entire area; they were hidden from the world.

Sally's eyes darted mischievously. "No telling..." she admitted, as he drew near. John was not used to the situation -- she stood before him so openly, and it was only natural for him to walk right up and embrace her. Their eyes locked, as if they had crossed an event horizon; and then, in turn, their lips met. Sally was soft and warm; her violet blouse was fuzzy in his hands. Suddenly John felt an affection for her he had rarely felt before.

That evening, as they walked back to his apartment, if the sun had gone down, it hardly felt like it. Had they stopped smiling once this whole time?

"Hey, how was your day?" John asked. Sally laughed suddenly. "You know, we've hardly said anything about that this whole time, have we? It was great - Professor Arliss is so entertaining! He was talking about intelligence and espionage today - he kept acting paranoid, like someone was watching him. 'Oh shit, how did this get mixed in with all the other slides?? I can't show this here, for God's sake!' He's a great actor."

"I thought you hated him!"

"No...since I told you that I've really changed my mind. At the beginning of the year he seemed like a jerk...well, he still is, as far as grades and everything...but I've started to see his redeeming qualities."

"Well that's great."

"Oh, look!" Sally pointed. A dark and harrowing sunset with a firey core came into view between the tall buildings that surrounded them. "All this time we haven't noticed..." John held her closer while they stood in awe. Her hair flowed in the wind; the light on her face was beautiful.

"Hey, let's see if we can get a better view!"
"Yeah!"

He took her hand excitedly and they ran into the ERC. Sally brushed her hair back as it settled. "I've never been here before." she said, looking around at the wood paneling on the walls, and the eccentric lighting overhead. Escalators hummed off to the side. They may have been the only people in the building, given the hour.

Cold, narrow floodlights glided over them as they ascended the elevators. John turned to look at Sally - her eyes were just like she watched the sunset, but she was looking at him, with a faint smile that came from deep within. She leaned forward to hold him, burying her face in his shoulder. He was overcome. He felt strangely...

"Oh, this is perfect!" Sally effused. John took her again by the waist and they slowly approached the wide array of glass before them. They were twenty-two floors up; nothing impeded the view. The sunset had grown warmer now, and was accelerating...but time seemed to slow to counteract the briefness of its intensity.

"Do you think there is someone watching, with us?"

"Not for a very long way..." John replied. "Few people even recognize God's artwork in this day and age - what little time we have, we are usually too immersed in our own creations."

It was a cynical statement, but Sally smiled. "I would rather be here watching sunsets with you instead."

John beamed. "That's why I love you."

A moment later, in silence, his words came back to him. There was a feeling...an obscure feeling that he could not escape. Why did he feel it?

He turned his eyes to look at Sally as she continued to admire the sunset. She seemed to have an everlasting smile on her face. Her happiness was so genuine that it almost brought him to tears.

Why did he feel this way?

Tethered between extreme happiness and growing worry, John didn't understand. He tried to suppress the feeling; he tried to drive it away, to ignore it, to rationalize it. It didn't make any sense. But it persisted. He was haunted by the thought:

This is not Sally.

posted by Andy @ 11:09 AM