When I stood on the edge of the stone pillar outside the display window, I let my gaze scatter across every distance within sight—like a fly, though only the eyes were agile. I cupped my hand into the shape of a telescope. Across the street, the old cinema was under renovation. Beneath its carved façade, the windows sat in silence, not a trace of light escaping. I couldn’t tell if anyone was inside. Farther away, a glass building leaked a faint, ambient glow. The computer monitors were on, but no one was visible. Perhaps they were somewhere else.
A bus rested quietly by the stop, its driver’s seat empty. The interior was unlit, and the seats sank into shadow, touched only at the edges by a cool grey-blue. The last of the day’s light pooled quietly at the bottom of the cabin. On the stone-paved road, a few small clusters of people stood together, glancing now and then toward the far end of the street—still waiting for whatever they hoped would come.
The sky continued to dim. Clouds, like cotton pulled apart, tangled with the tops of buildings before gently drifting away toward a farther distance. My foot, following the motion of my shifting gaze, stepped unconsciously onto another tilted ledge. The sudden movement sent me slipping back to the ground—then I climbed up again.
From this unusual height, I stepped just beyond the blind spot of those on the ground. I caught a glimpse of the route number they had all been waiting for. I dropped quickly, and for a moment, even my wings remembered how to move.
当我站上橱窗外石柱的一角，我把视线分散到目光所及的每处距离，就仿佛一只苍蝇，但只有眼睛灵活。
我用手掌卷出望远镜的样子，对面的影院正在维修，复古的雕花下，窗户一片沉寂，不见半分光泄出，不知是否有人在内活动。更远一点的玻璃建筑透出弥散的灯光，电脑亮着屏幕，却不见人影，或许在别的地方。
一辆巴士靠在站台边休息，驾驶室空空如也。车内无灯，座椅沉没在墨色中，只在边缘泛起灰青，黄昏的余晖沉积在最底层。石板路上三三两两的人挤作一团，时不时望向街道尽头，迟迟等着他们的盼望。
天色愈发黯淡。云朵像被搓开的棉团，散落的部分与高处的建筑纠缠在一起，接着拂散开来，去了更远的远方。我的脚随着聚焦的视线不由自主地踏向另一块倾斜点。突如其来的举动让我跌落回地面——我又重新踏了上去。
这不寻常的高度，让我越过地面之人的视线盲区，瞥见他们翘首以盼的路线编号。我飞快落下，此刻翅膀也终于灵活。