A happy-sad ending

Up above, from the vantage point of a passing bird, the world below looks much the same.

The old man nods in the direction of a young woman sitting on the floor. He turns and begins his walk home. From here, it's impossible to see the expression on his face, but his step is slow; he appears to be walking into a strong headwind.

The girl stands, brushes down her clothes and walks off in the opposite direction.

No, nothing much appears to have changed.

And yet, the old man may well feel grateful for another slow afternoon in the warm fug of his small flat. And the girl may have found a moment of calm and silence amid the almost constant clamour of her own mind.

Each has been - briefly - healed by a single realisation.

That there's always someone worse off than yourself.


Story begins here