The evening sun casts a reddish loom over the deserted blocks. Its light falls off the slanting sheds on to the pavement in slit-like bars. One can hear the faint noise of city traffic streaming from a distance. I pull the sling of the briefcase impatiently, fastening it on my shoulder. I can hardly bear its weight anymore. I walk with quick steps.

Familiar sounds greet me as I approach the metropolitan. The surly crowd knocks me out of my composure. A fevered rush of voices runs an assault on the senses. The bodies writhe in the commerce of everyday life. Corpulent and stout, firm and twisted—all participate on the pockmarked streets. They voice their laments in sobering overtones.

I stop at a hawker to buy a cigarette. He grins at me with his tobacco stained teeth. I see my reflection in the mirror hanging by his shed. My face looks tarnished by age and hunger. I am losing my appetite—I concede. My cheekbones have become hollow. The hawker nudges me to make the payment. I dive my hands into the pockets of my trousers and give him a few pennies. Keep the change.

The pavement feels hard against the sole of my shoes. I hear a body falling to the ground. A virgin lies on the floor with her head split into two unequal halves. Her fingers are knotted in a promise. The blood gushes from her skull. A crowd mulls over her body. Their faces are animated with gasps of horror and shock. I check my watch. I have to be somewhere in fifteen minutes. I pray over her body and leave in silence.

I will fuck your sister. Someone shouts from behind. I turn around and see a group of rowdy teenagers sniggering at each other. They hold a body in their tight grip. One of them stokes the body from behind. Muffled cries escape the mouth of the victim. His whole body convulses with a violent retort. They take turns pushing into him. Their mouths foam with ecstasy and belligerence.

I reach the train platform in time and stand to gaze at the lamppost. A grey pall of fog dulls my vision. The train rattles from a distance. I hear the sound of footsteps approaching the platform. I feel my anxieties rushing to the gut. A familiar pair of dreamlike eyes greets me. I hear a footfall of hundreds of passengers climbing the train. The eyes beckon to me. They lead me into the solitary chambers of my heart. A thousand dreams within me softly burn. I stand motionless beside the lamppost. The train leaves the station quietly.