The Moment Forgotten in Sync

Max butted the cigarette in a sparkling clean ashtray. It was his first in the diner.

He looked up at the clock on the wall and watched the second hand tick. It hit 12 and his watch chimed. Perfection. Everything was in sync again. It'd been a long while since he had felt in tune with his surroundings, a hell of a long time before he was able to sleep at night and not worry about the nightmares.

"Indeedios" a tiny voice seemed to say. Max turned to see a housefly zip past his nose fly off.

He was about to call after it but then he heard the chimes above the door. The doors had opened and a goddess walked in.

Maggie.

She stood by the door and scanned the area and spotted her intended. He reached for another cigarette and put it to his lips. He turned to signal the waiter for another cup as Maggie slide into a chair across from Max.

"Hiya," she said.

"Hey," he replied.

The Unforgotten

Max walked down the alley. He was walking with purpose and meaning, a sense of emergency in the strides he took. Time was not waiting and it wasn't for the wasting. He was thinking of how autumn felt when winter arrived.

His fingers felt like they were asleep, like thousands of dull needles pricking them. He glanced at the tip of his fingers and could see through them.

Damn, he thought. Not yet. Not now.

His cell phone chimed, but he wasn't in the mood to answer it. He was glancing around the walls and looking for something. He continued to walk briskly, scanning the walls and the doors. He could feel the pins moving down his fingers, and at the moment he was scared to look at them.

"There it is," Max muttered. He stopped at a wall with several graffiti symbols on it and then he tapped the wall in various places. The wall shimmered a little and Max stepped through, with a look of relief on his face.