More Than the Heat
This week’s Story Starter teaser is:
“It is so hot here,” he said, “it seems that people move like they’re wearing something heavier than their skin.”
Fandango’s Story Starter #256
More Than the Heat
It is so hot here,” he said, “it seems that people move like they’re wearing something heavier than their skin.”
I smiled politely.
“It isn’t the heat.”
He looked at me, puzzled, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
The afternoon sun had emptied the streets. Even the stray cats had disappeared into the shadows, and the air shimmered above the pavement.
“It feels impossible to breathe,” he muttered.
I nodded.
“Yes.”
We sat in silence outside the little café until an elderly woman shuffled past, carrying shopping bags that looked far too heavy for someone her age.
Then came a young father pushing a stroller with one hand while answering work calls with the other.
A nurse walked by, her shoulders slumped after a twelve-hour shift.
A teenager stared at the ground, headphones on, fighting tears no one else could see.
“They’re all exhausted,” he whispered.
“Not because of the weather.”
I shook my head.
“Everyone carries something.”
Grief.
Responsibility.
Fear.
Hope.
Regret.
Love.
Some burdens are invisible.
The hottest days simply make them easier to notice.
He watched the people passing by, seeing them differently now.
The old woman wasn’t walking slowly because of the sun.
The nurse wasn’t tired because of the temperature.
The teenager wasn’t staring at the pavement to avoid the glare.
He finally understood.
The weight people carried had very little to do with the heat.
Before leaving, he looked back at the crowded street one last time.
“I thought they were moving slowly because of the weather.”
“No,” I replied softly.
“They’re moving as fast as they can.”
Sometimes the heaviest thing we wear…
is the life no one else can see.
With love, coffee, poetry, and stardust,
— Maggie The Afterlove Voice 💫
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