zero plus nothing equals - 10. the road at night

by jeremy witherington

part ten of 31

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the red dog ran down the dark street, chased by a man wearing a blue hat and waving a butterfly net. a woman in a green dress stood in a lighted window and watched the man in the blue hat chase the dog and wave the butterfly net until they both faded from sight. it is so sad, she thought. they were there, and now they are gone. a ilmpid tear rolled down her heavily rouged cheek and she stifled a sob. a man sat behind her on the left side of a long couch upholstered in dark purple, with his left arm, encased in the sleeve of a maroon smoking jacket, extended over the top of the right side of the couch. nothing. i was just feeling sad. sad about nothing, i suppose. i saw a man wearing a blue hat chasing a dog down the street with a butterfly net. really? what kind of damned fool chases a dog with a butterfly net, especially at this time of night. who knows? he might have been an interesting character, but i will probably never know now. tell me more about this fellow. what color coat twas he wearing? i suppose he was wearing a coat, as it is a bit chilly out. his coat was a curious shade of puce. all shades of puce are curious. there you go again, making light of everything i say. i am sorry. why don’t you go for a walk? it might clear your mind of all the wretched detritus that has been cluttering it up lately. that is a good idea. thank you for your sympathetic understanding of my brain problems, which have been relentlessly ongoing lately. don’t mention it. be sure to wear a jacket, as it is a bit chilly out. * the woman in the green dress put on a pale blue coat witth a pink hood and stepped outide. the night was cold, but, lost in her wandering thoughts, she hardly noticed that it was. the man in the maroon smoking jacket took hsi arm down from the right side of the dark purple couch and heaved a melancholy sigh. next