'The Girl On The Bike'

He'd just spent a lonely train ride back to his home town. Prospects were not the best they'd ever been ... but he remained optimistic. He'd gone through worse. Crossing the railway car park, he checks and notes the main road and sees it is safe to cross. He is part way across the crossing when he notices the cyclist to his right. From nowhere she seemed to appear. He makes it to safety and glances across as she passes him by. Catching her gaze for a second. Feeling uneasy then as he wanders into the bus station and heads to the bus which would take him home. Those haunted looking eyes firmly in his mind.

Seated then on the top deck of the empty bus, he forgets the cyclist ... as his mind returns to the weeks ahead. The path he must take. The new life he must lead. The motion of the bus lulling him into a day dream. His mind returning then to the momentary look of recognition of the cyclist at the pedestrian crossing. But she was a stranger to him. Yet her gaze was haunting ... scary.

The bus stopping with a sudden jolt, breaks his day dream. The manner of the change in motion fuelling his growing unease. He looks out of the window and can see no reason for the bus's unsheduled stop. The sound of commotion from the lower deck, muffled cries of surprise ... instinctively he walks down the stairs and is confronted by an ashen faced driver ...'there was a girl on a bike ... I couldn't avoid her, I braked and tried to avoid her. I know I hit her ... but, there is no sign of her outside... no time for her to have ridden away! I saw her eyes before I hit her, she was petrified ... ' --- Matthew James ---