The Watch – Part 207:

(Tom’s perspective)

I refuse to have doubts. I have to do this. There is no other way.

I started walking back the way I had come. The problem is, because I hadn’t been bothered to pay attention to where I was walking, I don’t actually remember my way back. I just kept my head down, walked forward and got lost in my own thoughts. Ok, so I can forget how to get back to the café where I got my water from. I just have to find a corner shop or another café instead. That shouldn’t be too hard. As built up this city is, there has to be more than enough shops and cafés scattered about the place.

I’ve never done something like this before in my entire life. My heart’s racing. I had no reason to. Those were a poor selection of words. I meant to say that I knew the consequences that would come from doing something like this, and no one wants to be in that amount of trouble. Now, being here, with no one knowing who I am, there won’t be anybody being disappointed in me. I don’t have to say what I did here. This can be my secret. Can I keep something like that? I don’t really want to think about that now.

I’ve seen what happens to people who have been caught doing something like this, and it’s not a pretty sight. Sure, when you’re watching it on TV, in the comfort of your own home, that stuff can be for entertainment purposes, but when you are actually in a situation where the only answer is to do something like this, that entertainment value starts declining rapidly.

My hands start to shake. I don’t know whether it’s because I’m low on energy, or because I’m genuinely nervous about this. My guess, it’s the latter. There is a chance that it can be both, but if it is both, then the majority is because I’m nervous. And it’s also because I’m nervous that I’m thinking about everything but what I should be thinking about, which is figuring out a good plan so that I can get away without being noticed.

Just walk in and walk out. It should be as simple as that. Of course I have extreme doubt. Something like this always sounds easier than it is…. I assume. I shouldn’t assume, but I have no other choice.

A shop. I’ve finally found a shop. It’s a small shop, but it’s a shop nonetheless. All I have to do is walk in, take what I need, and walk out. It’s not going to be as simple as that, but that’s what I’m going to do.

I’m standing on the other side of the road, directly facing the shop’s entrance. I’ve never been this nervous. I have to pull myself together if I want to get away with this. Why am I even considering doing something like this?

I’m in a completely different parallel universe. I shouldn’t be here. No one has noticed me yet… except the people I’ve purposely interacted with, but I’m not going to interact with anyone. I’m simply going to walk in and walk out. Maybe I shouldn’t do this.

My stomach growled louder still. Then started the hunger pains. I have no other choice. Like I keep saying to myself: I won’t be here for long, so I can dance as much as I want because no one will not simply care about my actions, so pull myself together and dance like no one’s watching, because they aren’t.

If I had the watch, I would be able to turn myself invisible and walk in and walk out, literally, without anyone noticing me. But I don’t have the watch, and no one is noticing me anyway. So just go in there and do what needs to be done.

I start to cross the road. My feet are made of led. I legs are made of jelly, but I keep walking, straight and true. I made sure that I crossed within a gab in the traffic. The last thing I want is for a car to come screeching to a halt, blowing its horn. That will most certainly draw everyone’s attention to me.

I reach the other side. Now that I’ve built up some momentum, I can’t stop. I keep going, crossing the path, entering the shop. The warm atmosphere engulfs me, allowing my muscles to loosen up a bit, but I shouldn’t too much otherwise I would come to a complete stand still and I wouldn’t get anywhere. I walk through the aisles, studying the products, seeing what’s best. At this point, as hungry as I am and as long as I don’t have to cook it, I really don’t care what I eat and drink. I just want something inside my body too keep me going until Sebastian comes and rescue me. I look toward the counter. There’s a nice long queue with about a dozen customers, and the person is, as clichéd as it looks, has her back towards me whilst she weighs up some sweets in a bag from the Pick ‘n’ Mix that’s sitting in the corner just as you walk in. No one has noticed me yet.

I can do this. I reach my hand out. No one has noticed me yet.

I can do this. I pick up a handful of chocolate bars. No one has noticed me yet.

I can do this. I turn on the balls of my heels towards the door. No one has noticed me yet.

I can do this. My heart is beating so fast I’m surprised no one can hear it. I don’t want to walk too fast, nor do I want to run. I just want to get out of here as casually as I can.

Fresh air. I’ve done it. I sigh with relief. I look around and saw that no one has noticed me. I look back into the shop and see that no one has noticed me. I start walking away. Putting the rest in my pockets, I open one of the bars and greedily jam it into my mouth, crunching with satisfaction. I chewed it until it was safe for me to swallow and the moment I did, my hunger pains went away. My stomach growled for more, and so I gave it more. I ate all six bars in a row.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)