0525: early morning, The Resounding Ovation

A cap to hide the badly scarred face, a long sleeve shirt to conceal the tattoos, a shabby black coloured slacks to relieve the legs of the chill of night breeze – he prepares.

A crowd of people. Seated. Bored. He smirks. He is excited. He is looking over at the crowd of 200 people. What a way, what a grand entrance it will be and what an awesome feeling it will be. Almost thunderous, almost electrifying. To kill, to kill, to kill - he prepares.

The master key clatters alongside the lesser-used keys. He slides it into the ignition. Three. Two. One. The engine roars to life. Still unnoticed, the crowd remained unfazed. He remains a mystery – he prepares.

He turns the steering ever so skillfully to accommodate the sharp bend. And then all of a sudden, he steps on the gas. The speedometer moved as fast as it could, the large vehicle delivering a deafening and insistent sound of engine blaring. He drives head on towards the crowd of people. Fast, fast, fast, to kill, to kill, to kill. He smiles. He is in total control. He is thrilled.

The crowd remained calmed and maintained their position.

The large vehicle was moving quickly and noisily towards the crowd of people, never once dropping a hint of pulling over.

But at the last leg of this intense drive out, he made a sharp turn. The brakes screeched, and the large vehicle took its position adjacent to the crowd of people seated.

Three. Two. One.

The crowd of people, in pure uniformity, stood up. Like a marching band, audible in their discipline; like a school of fish, swimming in a steady formation; like a choir, coming in together with precision at the chorus, matching in pitch and tune – the crowd of people stood up together at the exact same time, celebrating his arrival. Some were smiling, but most remained bored. He didn’t mind this at all.

He only had time to admit the people smiling, those who were celebrating his arrival.

He remained seated in the large vehicle, witnessing this very moment right before his eyes. Such a beautiful disposition. The Resounding Ovation. What a stunning frame of image to behold!

And then suddenly, this quiet imagination was rudely interrupted with the incessant beeping of a machine.

He prepares.

The bus driver prepares for yet another long day of loops after loops around the city.

The Resounding Ovation has now, ceased.

Bored. To kill, to kill, to kill.