rest my eyes

i was on the outskirts of a town, walking towards it. my truck had broken down and i needed help fixing it. there was nothing in the other direction.

the town was creepily silent, as if nothing was moving. short rows of houses with their windows shut and their doors closed. i walked quickly past them.

then, out of nowhere, there was a woman on a porch. she was wearing a thin cotton dress and had very plain features. i asked her for directions. where was the nearest auto garage.

"there hasn't been an auto garage here for a long time mister"

"where are the people who live in this town?"

"my husband left and i don't think he's coming back. i'm standing outside because it hurts so bad"

"when did he leave?"

"about 15 minutes ago"

you could see her body through the dress. her pubic hair. i kept walking.

across the intersections, old fashioned streetlights hung from wire. dust was building up in the corners.  echos of a place that had once been here. i was forgetting why i had come.

then a guy ran by in a Patagonia jacket and i'm like,

"do you know where there's a mechanic nearby?"

and he's like,

"nah man i can't help you"

the downtown was empty. i walked back to the woman's house. it was getting dark

"did you find what you were looking for?"

"everything is closed there. i didn't see a single soul"

"i would invite you in, but my husband is home now. it seems that we missed our window."

"thank you for the offer, that's very kind of you. but really, i just wanted something nice against which to rest my eyes."

and then i turned away from the town and didn't look back