Wide Open Spaces

Leah stretched her arms high above her head, enjoying the feel of the sun. She dropped into her next pose, held it for a second and then flopped down on her mat. It was too hot for this today.

Sky Alton
Writer, Gryffindor

Leah stretched her arms high above her head, enjoying the feel of the sun. She dropped into her next pose, held it for a second and then flopped down on her mat. It was too hot for this today. She didn’t know why she bothered. It wasn’t like she was getting any better at yoga.

In her periphery, she watched an older woman jog by. She saw her here all the time: doing endless laps of the tarmac path that looped around the park. They’d exchanged friendly nods but Leah had noticed that the lady never looked particularly happy while she was jogging. It always made her wonder just what she was doing it for. Her health? Maybe she also got fed up of sitting alone in an empty house?

A breeze blew a leaf into Leah’s face and she sat up to brush it off. A young dog lolloped past, pursued by a little boy in dirty trainers. They were regulars too. She thought the dog’s name was Kenny, though it might have been Jenny or even Penny. She only heard it being yelled from a distance when the dog was doing something it shouldn’t. She smiled at the boy and the dog but neither seemed to notice.

Reluctantly, Leah began to roll up her mat. She really ought to be getting back, particularly as her workout had been more of a fizzle out. She stood up. As she shouldered the mat, she saw a man of around her own age sit down on a nearby bench. He avoided her gaze, hunching in on himself as though he’d quite like to disappear. Leah gave him a wide berth but as she walked parallel to the bench, she smiled at him. His eyes widened in shock and then puzzlement. His fingers twitched in a spasmodic, half wave. As she walked away, he went back to his sad, lost expression. Leah wondered just what had led him to seek out the solace of sun and wide open spaces. Would it bring him back another time?