Simon Barker

A chill ran down Simon Barker's spine as he settled into his seat on the 17A bus to who knew where.

He wasn't in the habit of boarding buses with no destination.

But today, he needed something different.

He needed spontaneity.

And it was because he wanted to, not because his girlfriend broke up with him for being too boring.

It felt like fate when the wind blew a ticket in his face during his morning walk.

As he gripped the paper, a strange tug pulled him, and with a mere glance to check its validity, he veered away from his usual path, heading to the bus station.

The ticket looked to be for a train at first glance, but when he checked it before boarding, it transformed into a generic bus pass.

Simon felt good, if not a little unsettled.

He didn't typically take the bus, preferring to walk or cycle everywhere he needed to go.

He wasn't all too fond of people, and he did his best to avoid them.

He lived a quiet, unassuming life, and he liked it that way.

But today would be different.

He took a deep breath and coughed from the cigarette smoke emanating from the man in front of him.

Across the aisle, a woman opened her lunch bag and pulled out a tuna sandwich, the fishy smell overtaking the smoke.

Simon ground his teeth together, but didn't say anything.

He turned instead to the window where the city bustled by.

They passed restaurants with black and white striped awnings, bakeries with pastel lettering on the windows, and crisp, clean-looking jewelry stores.

Outside, the sun shone, and all manner of people were out and about,

An old lady struggled with her walker on the cracked sidewalk.