Good morning all. Today is one of those days that is just going to be fueled by coffee. I can feel it. Sleep was elusive and the only thing keeping me up is a heavy dose of caffeine. So I say we just set our timers and jump into the morning prompt. Then go guzzle a bucket of wake up juice. Everyone in? Good, then let’s go.
Not one of my better ones I think. It got off to a slow start as I was fumbling around with an idea. Then I figured out what i was writing and it got better. I think the first half of this prompt will be cut out if I end up using this. But a good edit never hurt anyone.
Wednesday, January 19th: They danced with abandon.
They danced with abandon. All thoughts and cares were forgotten. Tomorrow all the troubles facing them could be dealt with. Tonight, they simply danced. The drum beats filled the air and thumped in time with their heart beats. The guitars and horns provided the swaying rhythm and they lost themselves in the half light of the room. The air was warm with cool blasts coming periodically through the vents above, caressing the skin with tantalizing chills. Sweat rolled down their spines, soaking the cloth of their shirts.
Laughter echoed across the room. He looked at the others. Eyes skittered away from his gaze and he understood. As long as they weren’t looking at each other, as long as they didn’t focus on the presence of the others then they could forget. They could leave the harshness of tomorrow for tomorrow.
Even realizing this, he felt the concerns slip in. It wound like a threat through his veins. The icy worry that made him shiver despite the warmth of the room. He began to feel the tiredness in his limbs and the breath he lost. Worry snaked into his lungs and tightened binding them and making his heart thump loudly. Too loudly. He missed a beat of the drum, his heart no longer in sync.
For him the abandon was over. He looked around and seeing no one watching him, he slipped from the crowd and moved towards the edges. No one was watching the dancers, all in the room were participating in the dance. He felt apart. The drum beat moved to his head, leaving his body and beginning to throb like the onset of a migraine. He spotted the door and moved towards it.
The bouncer who guarded the entrance when they arrived and checked their identification so intently was nowhere to be seen. He frowned and touched the door. It wasn’t locked.
‘Maybe he is outside,’ he thought as he stepped out into the coolness of the night. There was no one there. The bouncer had deserted his post. Not wanting to stand in the doorway, he decided to walk down to the corner as he waited for the others to finish their dance and be ready to leave. He strolled casually. All of the things that the morning would bring began to scroll through his brain like a moving to do list. He could practically see the words forming in front of his eyes.
He reached the corner and turned, thinking he would walk back. It wasn’t as far a walk as he though. He stopped and leaned against the wall. The street light had been broken at some point leaving him the darkness. Around the door to the club there was a pool of light. He knew he could see his friends when they left even if they couldn’t spot him. For now, he was fine with the dark.
The cool brick of the building pulled some of the heat from him and helped to ease off the still blooming headache. A car sped around the corner and screeched to a halt in front of the club. The back door of the car opened while the driver stayed behind the wheel. He could tell they were men, but they were both wearing masks. The sight of the masks made him shrink back into the shadows. The man who got out of the car held something in his hand. He opened the door to the club. Tossed whatever he held into the club and then raced back to the car, letting the club door swing closed on its own. As the car sped away, he looked at the license plate. Wondering what was thrown into the club he started to walk back towards the door.
Ten til Midnight 