Curate, connect, and discover
This is absolutely brilliant! Worth the read. I want to see this put to music and dance now.
The stage is empty, save a single thought. She walks over to pick it up and it leaps from her grasp, landing on the worn planks with a hollow thump. She reflects briefly that it sounds like a heartbeat, the sound of this thought landing on the stage, and begins her chase. Her bare feet flash from a billowing skirt and pad softly in pursuit. As the thought moves away from her in a fluid bound, she giggles and whirls around to leap after it. The cresting fabric of her skirt pulls tight around her knees, and then loosens as her direction changes. The only thing she can see, can focus on, is catching this thought, though it alludes her thus far. It pauses and she slides across the boards with a rasping sound that reminds her of leather in some strange way. She crouches low, one knee bent up to rest against her shoulder as her arm stretches out to hold her balance. Her skirts wafts gently under her left leg, stretched out long and lean. Her breath is harsh and ragged, and all traces of giggles have ceased. She is now determined; she is a woman with a mission. She holds her position steady as the though turns listlessly in place.
Suddenly it seems like there are two of them. Are her eyes playing tricks on her? She closes off all her senses, retreating into solitude for a moment or two, then comes back to the moment. As her eyes open she gasps and loses her balance, falling backwards. Her legs somewhat splayed, she attempts to regain some sort of composure as her eyes widen in amazement. What was a solitary thought has become hundreds, each a different size and texture but all staring in her direction. She plants her hands on the wood between her legs and pushes into a hunkering position. The thoughts remain still. She extends a hesitant foot out towards a group of three. They remain still. As she slowly begins to shift her weight to that extended foot, she notices something of a tension amongst the triad. As she stretches her hands to stroke the closest one, pandemonium erupts. Every one of her thoughts is exploding away from her. She bursts into action, coiled muscles relishing the chance to spring her into the air. Her breath is ragged, tearing from her lungs in short bursts as she flies about the stage. Nothing has meaning except that she, above all, must lay hand on any one of these. But they are tricky and can sense her desperation. They playfully flit in and out of her range, seeming to know exactly the moment to dart away so her hands close on air.
She moves about the stage, running after them as they all begin to vanish. As they seemingly all disappear, her eyes close and harsh sobs wrack her body as it sinks to the floor. She sits cross-legged with her face in her hands, and the lights on the stage begin to darken.
Sitting alone with the last of her sobs behind her, she begins to wonder where she'll go from here. The last of her tears run down her face as she feels something silky crawl into her lap, a warm weight settling down as if to comfort her.