"Soul Seekers"

 

Soul Seekers
by
Tracy Duran

She was sitting in a dark room with a few candles lit so that she could imagine. Not sure why he never showed up and she couldn’t understand why he went away for so long. Then the sing-songy whistle comes about in the air again.  Then she hears the singing that always follows. It's always the same song when she thinks of him.

♫I follow the Moskva

Down to Gorky Park

Listening to the wind of change...♫

The drone of the notes helps her meditate to where she sees his face. Just his face in the candlelight. She listens for the song again. The song faded away. It feels like it has been 10 maybe 15 minutes, then she hears it again very softly.

♫The future's in the air

Can feel it everywhere

I'm blowing with the wind of change...♫

She can now see him, sitting on the floor just several feet in front of her with the candles around him. He has his eyes closed tightly and he is calling for her.

“Lizzie, can you hear me?” he says in a hushed, nervous tone.

She tries to speak but she feels choked up. She can’t believe that she is hearing his voice. The music fades along with his image.

It feels like an hour has passed. She's concentrating so intently to have him come back. She thinks of him constantly to try to get her into his mind. Suddenly the whistling starts again. She feels very cold yet electric at the same time. She feels like she has more energy to talk. She's not as nervous as she was before.

"The Sentinel of Section 27"

The Sentinel of Section 27
Photo by Tracy Duran
Tracy Duran Collection

As the sun sets, I ready myself to stand guard. My name is William. Sometimes they call me Billy, sometimes Hank, heh. Yeah, when I was a kid, they called me Billy but when I became a soldier, I became William. I straighten my coat and straighten my cap. I don't want to disappoint my commanding officer by not being properly put together. I get my rifle ready for my patrol. The horizon in the distance becomes darker, where the purple of dusk meets the darkness of night. I can smell the moisture in the air, the damp wood of the trees. Tonight is one of many nights when I have stood guard. I don't always get a chance since there are so many to take that turn. Tonight is my night however and I enjoy hearing the silence. The quiet soft velvet of the night.

There used to be a few areas similar to the one I guard but now there are many. Some decide to stick around and see who comes and goes. Others chose to move on. What makes me sad in my heart though are when the kids get lost and come by looking for their fathers or mothers. We try our best to get them together and more times than anything they find each other and move on.