• The streets were lined with freshly bloomed flowers, buttercups and posies sprinkled the walkways of the front yards. Trees lined the sidewalks like telephone poles, their branches reaching out and communicating with the neighborhood despite being the only natural thing in the plain suburbs of Winchester.

    Marla walked the uniform pathways slowly passing by each house which happened to resemble the last house she had just passed. And so she walked, making her way past unfamiliar homes that were familiar without seeing them before. Strapped onto her back was a hiking pack emblazoned with a black logo that clashed with the deep red it was made from. In it she carried all she needed for her journey. All of the necessary accouterments were packed and accounted for including a sleeping bag nestled on top and a water bottle dangling from one of the many loops on the pack. With purpose Marla trekked across this vast wilderness of concrete and plastic, never stopping for more than a few minutes to check her headings and to secure any loose items.

    Onwards she went as the day slipped by. Before dusk she encountered a man sitting on his lawn under a great oak tree with a torn t-shirt covering his head and a bucket beside him.

    "Why, good afternoon to ya!" ,said the man, "where are ya headin' this time o' day with all that crap on yur back?"

    "I'm on a quest", she replied with quiet dignity.

    "Whatchya lookin' for?"

    "I'll know when I find it"

    With that she continued on. Walking with purpose, not noticing whatever task the man went back to after the chit-chat; Marla made her way east. She rounded a corner at the end of the subdivision and pressed the button on the trafficlight signaling that she was there and ready to cross the great divide created by the river of asphalt which separated the homes from other homes. While waiting for the light to change, an elderly woman made her way across the great divide, reaching out with her white cane and groping the air to find the button.

    "Do you need any help?", asked Marla as the lady fondled the trafficlight searching for the button to cross.

    "Oh why no, I'm just trying to get home. I work at the gas station over there and it's about time to be headin' that way. I can't miss my meds. I'll start shittin' everywhere and it's quite unpleasant. Maybe my son will be home and he can help me find my cat. He's been missing for two days ya know", said the woman matter of factually.

    "I see. Can you make it across the street ok?"

    "I've been doing this before you were born missy. I've got the timin' down to an art. Every twelve seconds the light changes and I can feel 'em racin' by when it do. It's all a matter of instinct ya understand?"

    "Ya I guess I do. Ya know I don't think I'm much younger than you. In fact I maybe older. How do you get by?"

    "Well, I lost my eyes about six years ago. It didn't bother me much, but you sound much more vigorous than an old hag like me. Then again how do I know, right? It's all about instincts. Where are you off to anyway?"

    "I'm on a quest"

    "What are you searching for?"

    "I'll know it when I see it."

    "Ya I hear that!", the lady said with peals of laughter echoing across the black tundra and into the emptiness of the sky above the street signs and phone lines.

    And so, Marla pushed on. Whether she ever found what she was looking for is up to debate but she has not been heard from since that day. She was last seen making her way east towards the grey city, carefully searching for something. Did she ever find it? Only she would know. But then again, it was always about instincts.