The Stillness of Two in the Morning

Two in the morning, she pours a glass of cold water in the kitchen and drinks. The sound of the refrigerator door closing echoes through the empty house. The blue light cast on the floor disappears, and the dark rolls back in. Outside, the streetlamp lights the wet asphalt, and from far away the wind carries the sound of a dog barking. She breathes on the windowpane and draws a circle with her finger. The glass of water is still cold, and the damp that touched her palm remains. She tries not to think of anything, but the thought that perhaps she'd like this night not to end brushes past. She stands there for a long time, looking out at the window where the streetlamp glimmers. Then, faintly, music drifts up from the apartment below. She listens closely. And she thinks that someday, she'll remember this night.