Old Park Road

Written for Sadje’s “What Do You See” #323.
Here’s where the photo prompt took me.

Spencer pulled his coat tighter as he turned off the main road onto the tree-lined path. The sensible route home was the highway – twenty minutes of straight asphalt and tail lights. But tonight he chose the old park road instead.

The frost-covered trees stood like silent witnesses on either side, their branches heavy with ice that caught the last bit of light in the gray afternoon. His tires crunched against the snow, the only sound in this muffled stillness.

At the office, there was a birthday party for one of his co-workers. One candle in the shape of the number 35 on a sheet cake, colleagues singing off-key, obligatory laughter at obligatory jokes. He’d smiled through the forced fun, playing his part. Someone passed him a piece of cake which he ate silently before ducking into his cubicle.

The path stretched ahead, vanishing into the misty distance. He could see two figures far ahead, walking away – just dark shapes against the white. For a moment he thought about calling out, hurrying to catch up. But what would he say? What did he ever say?

His house waited at the end of this walk. Warm, empty, exactly as he’d left it. That’s when the idea came to him, the thought of having someone at home waiting for him at the end of the day.

He reached under the mat for his straight edge. Looking down the path, he saw they were still there. Ideally it would be easier if there was just one …. just one to coerce, just one to subdue, to mold, and, ultimately, to break. But there were two.

Spencer was smart, though. He’d figure it out.

NAR©2026

This is “Take the Long Way Home” by Supertramp

What do you see # 323- 12 January, 2026

All text and graphics are copyright for Nancy Richy and are not to be used without permission. NAR©2017-present.