Picture Window

The two stucco houses sat facing one another, across the long-time quiet street. Each home had a large picture window in front, and that’s how he came to see her.

She was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen and he had no way of getting her attention. Neither one, it seemed, were allowed to leave their homes due to the pandemic.

He waved, jumped up and down, did somersaults and even screamed at the top of his lungs, till he lost his voice. And still she did not look his way.

It wasn’t until a springtime thunderstorm did she finally look across the street. The sudden flash of lightening startled her and she looked to see him smiling and waving frantically.

She stood in front of the window and waved back, excited to suddenly have a friend. Then she held up a single finger and disappeared from the room.

When she returned, she held a piece of paper against the window. It read, “Can you sneak out?”

Without thinking, he shook his head yes. Quietly, he opened the front door and sprinted across the street.

Once at the window, he looked in and found the girl was nowhere to be seen. Then he back away from the window, having noticed that he had no refection.

Frightened, he raced home. Once inside he look across the street to find the girl standing in the window, looking very confused.

“What happened?” she mouthed.

“I don’t know,” he responded, raising his hands, gesturing that he didn’t know.

That’s when he saw it – or rather –didn’t see it. His hands were suddenly invisible and his forearms were beginning to disappear.

He looked at the girl and could see that she too was vanishing, piece-by-piece. She looked panic-stricken and ghastly pale.

He race back to the door and swung it wide open and indicated for her to do the same. She did.

They stared at each other for a few seconds, as each of their bodies continued to fade away. Then they ran to one another and hugged.

Sharing their fear, they burst into a single bright flash of energy and evaporated. Neither knew that they had long been dead because of the virus and were only memories trapped in each others picture window.