The Smoker.
The man walks out of the small shopping centre where he had just done a bit of window shopping, and cursory browsing through a bookshop. It had been a while since his last cigarette, and he was in need of one. He stood at the back entrance of the mall, overlooking the small back parking lot.
He took out his packet of cigarettes, and removed a smoke. He put it to his lips, and took out his silver lighter. He opened the lid of the Zippo lighter with a smooth clicking motion of his hand. Then he turned the tiny rough wheel which caused a spark, which in turn ignited the wick of the lighter. He lit the cigarette with the flame, and then extinguished the lighter by closing the lid with another quick motion of his hand. He replaced the lighter in his pocket, and continued smoking his cigarette.
He took deep satisfying drags from the cigarette as the smoke filled his lungs. He then blew out the cigarette smoke in a thick swirling gray cloud. The cloud of smoke wafted gently through the air as it dissipated and disappeared. Soon it was replaced by another puff of smoke which the man blew out as he smoked his cigarette. He always got a great amount of satisfaction out of smoking a cigarette in this way. He smoked happily away.
A passerby saw the man smoking, and stopped to ask him for a cigarette. He took out his packet as he stood there smoking, and gave the man a cigarette. As the man walked off into the shopping centre, he finished smoking his cigarette
When he was finished with his cigarette, he extinguished the coal by stubbing the butt on the pavement. Then he took the dead cigarette butt and threw it into a nearby dustbin. Then he walked back into the centre himself, because he needed to buy a few things at the supermarket.
The cars milled and wrestled with each other for a parking space in the hot morning sun, as the car guards stood and watched for potential customers.
The End.
Copyright – JP Brown – 10/02/2007.
