The Girl Who Walks Series - Episode #2

 

It was June 9th, 2023, at 5:54 AM, when the mysterious woman entered my world. Day, after day, she has been a constant event. I'm a writer, you see, and my imagination has taken flight since that first sighting. It doesn't seem to matter the weather, she is always there. Early morning hours, always. Some sweltering hot. Others, like this morning, a very cool 58 degrees. Come rain, or come shine, she is my constant.

Today is September 2nd, 2023. Autumn is about to arrive, and because the days are getting shorter, she has begun her constitutional walks much later. Still, she shows up when the sky is just beginning to welcome us to another day.  Today, the beams coming from the street lights disrupt the shadows thrown across the roadway, and reveals a secret is hidden inside her closed fist.

Fall weather has come to our neighborhood, overnight. Literally. I'm not sure how she feels about it just yet. I've only seen her one time in anything other than a sleeveless blouse and her Sketchers Walk On pants (or jeans, on occasion), and what looks to be like the infamous slip-on Sketchers foot wear. Some would say I'm too observant. Is that really a thing though? How can someone be TOO observant? First World issues. I know...

I've lived here for a very long time and know the neighborhood pretty well. It is a friendly one, for the most part. When they get to know a person, at least. But, mostly they keep to themselves when meeting someone like my mysterious walker. I'm pretty sure they rarely acknowledge her presence (if ever), much less speak to her. She must wonder why. Does it cause her to be afraid of them? It's not the deep south, but it is the south! So, aren't we advertised as being friendly? She must wonder. And, what is she carrying in her clutched fist? 

I wonder which route she will take today. Are there other neighbors that watch as she makes her way down the road? Has she walked past the house that looks abandoned, where the grass is never mowed and it's always dark inside? If so, she must have noticed the dusty black van that sits under the carport that looks to have not been used for a very long time. What does she think about the upside down canoe (of sorts), with high weeds threatening to cover it, and the junk that surrounds it? And what about the little black pouch that lays at the foot of the large tree? How much curiosity can she handle? Will she continue to walk past without finding out? How will she get her questions answered? She must have them! Will the man who walks with holstered gun and side kick dog be part of the solution? And are they the reason for the secret weapon in her fist?

So many questions that need answers. Maybe I should become her friend. But how???

Until then, here you will find me...in Mary's World.