The Weight

He walks slowly over the pavement, the backpack weighing heavy on his shoulders. A dim glow from the streetlights illuminates the brick on the buildings around him. He hears whispers from the shadows but can’t understand what’s being said. A man moves out from the shadows toward him. He stops as the man draws closer. Close enough to feel his breath. The man leans in and says something. Something unexpected and heartbreaking. Before he can say anything the man slips back into the shadows along the street. Confused, he turns to continue and feels that his pack has grown heavier. He moves slower.

After a few moments, a woman moves out from the shadows and stops directly in front of him. He expects it this time. She leans slowly in and whispers something to him. As quickly as she appeared, she was gone, hiding with the others. He was left there alone in the street with the words the she had said. His pack grew heavier.

For the rest of the night, people would randomly approach him from the shadows, whisper something to him, and move away before he could respond. And each time, the load he carried on his back became heavier. His legs began to shake under the tremendous weight and his muscles burned. Finally, exhausted, he collapsed in the middle of the street. He couldn’t move. He just lay there in pain, hearing the whispers around him, catching glimpses of those hiding in the shadows. In the midst of them all he felt alone. Alone with things said and things left unsaid.