Curate, connect, and discover
Change of Pace
Prompt: Individual desire to overcome obstacles
She had always enjoyed the sound of heartbeats. Badum, badum, beating for reasons that are sometimes exciting, sensible, and overall incomprehensible. She never touched a person to try though, not even towards the people that birthed her, maybe once before she knew how to stand up and talk as a ‘small little one,’ but those memories were far too gone in the past for her to go to even reminisce about it.
The splashes of the pitter-patter rain on her feet tickled her senses, instinctively curling herself up as if in an attempt to mooch as much warmth as she could.
“Are you alright?” A voice said. Blinking at the lack of weight of rain drops, curiously, she found herself looking up, wondering at what had happened.
Above her was a transparent dome-like object, held up with a pole connecting in the middle. How odd, she thought, her eyes looking to the person holding the dome-thing up next. A man, wearing a suit, kneeling in front of where she sat. “Do you want to come with me? The rain won’t be stopping anytime soon.” His words tumbled naturally and kindly she was nodding before she realized, thinking of thick blankets under her made her heart flutter, warming her belly, letting herself be picked up without question.
Once there, with the door closed she was put on a couch, the man going off to “get something, make yourself at home.” Shifting her position to be more comfortable, she waited, her eyes wandering from picture to picture hanging on the wall, hearing the sound of footsteps still far away.
One was a dog, the sun rays lighting him on the side as he caught a circle-like thing on the air. She can see the light in the dog’s eyes, the enjoyment so transparent it made her smile. Next was a hand--not like the man though, it looked thinner and paler--adorned in coloured shiny rocks. Not like the first one the picture was more stoic, maybe made to be pretty but nothing more underlying than that. But the last one took her attention, so much that she vaguely registered the blanket she had been looking forward to and the man calling her out.
“Oh, That one? I took that before, before a thing.” Realizing that he was talking about the picture, she turned and listened, seeing the man curling his lips as if hiding his amusement. The picture was the silhouette of a large ladder, holding two people up. One of them that was above looked curled up, as if fearing for his life. Another below the first one seemed eager to go up. She hummed, her heart whirling in wonder and she felt that she’s not the only one if the smile on the man was saying something.
“I was in a city, on a break from work, and one of the communities were working on making the largest pole to exist and to climb--almost like a leap of faith, though your mind and body is your faith to climb rather than just your feet to jump,” he continued, almost finished in rubbing her body dry and sitting himself beside her. “Some people were attempting and I volunteered to take a picture to advertise it for free. That picture didn’t make it since that wasn’t what they were looking for but I kept it and put it up. Though I’m not sure why I did it exactly.”
Instead of feeling her curiosity quenched, it peaked, silently but brimming with questions as she looked straight to his eyes. The stare continued for moments before he hesitantly looked away, pausing to the picture. “Leap of faith, huh…” he murmured under his breath, but she can hear it though she went closer, under his shoulders to his lap. That earned his attention, but instead of the soft expression he would show her his look was flat--his mouth slackened too low and his shoulders hunched too much especially for his tall height.
She waited, the beating in her heart wavered but she resisted. For some reason, she has to know. If ever does she have a reason besides a feeling, it was the face of the man that helped her that made her think that she, too, could repay the gratitude by this. Finally, maybe he saw her conviction or another reason altogether he spoked. “I’m the type of person that doesn’t enjoy changes much, because of that it was difficult to keep up at times. I tried to get used to it, what I got was a job from my first internship at a company. It lasted me until months later.”
“I.. noticed that the employers and the work were more harsh starting last year. I didn’t know why so I continued on my work, ignoring the elephant in the room and went on my way. It was good since some of my jobs required travelling to different places all over the country so I was spared for the most part. One of the younger employees tried to find out why though, and maybe he was so close that--that I didn’t see him the next day when he was called by the higher-ups. We knew him and what he was doing so the mood became worse.”
“I thought, ‘Wow, what a leap of faith guy.’ I’m not sure why, even now, but after I took a picture of that thing I felt invincible, doing the same thing that guy did afterwards and got myself fired. But this time I spread some gossip before I went out and slammed the door.” Suddenly, he chuckled, ruffling her hair. “It’s been a while since that happened so I forgot it in favour of bills and stress. Just a secret between us though, I still hope that the company will change or be bankrupt.”
The beating became more audible, drowned under another beat--stronger and firmer badum, badum--that she cuddled on his chest to hear it more. “Aren’t you cute, you little guy--or girl I’m not sure.” He paused, as if contemplating something. “How about I call you Pace? Ace? You like that better than Pace?”
He smiled, his face lighting up like the dog in the first picture that she can’t help but go along. “Then Ace,” he concluded.
The pelting rain out wasn't lighting up, her ears could confirm it even if the curtains covered the window. But unlike when she would curl up be herself to scavenge whatever comfort she could have despite the flimsy roof before, she curled to the man her mind drowsy that she didn’t quite catch his soft words before she slept.
“Who knew a change of pace could make me remember that I didn’t mind change more than I thought.”