This is my post on #freewriters2794 #dailyprompt lonely in a crowd hosted by @marinnewest.
The music vibrated against the night sky as it thumped through the atmosphere. People danced and laughed, their voices clashing in a frantic unison. Excited faces were illuminated by bright lights. The largest festival in the city was expected to make everyone .
Ada excluded.
As she moved slowly through the crowd, she kept her hands deep in her hoodie pockets. She might have appeared to every spectator as just another face in the crowd, taking in the performance. Ada, however, felt invisible on the inside. , she never felt more isolated.
She would have been here a few months ago with Ini, her best friend. Since secondary school, they had attended the festival annually. They would dance as if no one was looking, laugh until their sides hurt, and wear matching shirts. This year, however, things were different. Ada's sense of community vanished when Ini relocated for school.
Her attempt was to socialize. She waved to former neighbors, smiled at classmates she knew, and even purchased a drink from a familiar vendor. However, the discussions were short and meaningless. People were occupied. Groups of them arrived, exchanged inside jokes, and went on. Ada, following like a shadow, was becoming more and more burdened by silence.
A group of friends were posing for pictures near the stage, laughing while one of them made a goofy face. Ada turned her head away, fighting back tears. She merely wanted to connect, not obtain attention. Someone who would inquire as to her well-being after noticing her silence.
Finding a bench close to the field's edge, she took a seat and allowed the sounds to subside. Ada smiled for a second as a young boy ran by chasing a balloon. Then she looked up to see a woman sitting by herself on a different bench, staring at the stage mindlessly.
They looked at each other. A quick look, but it conveyed a lot. The woman nodded slightly. Ada gave a nod in return.
It is possible that she was not alone in her feelings.
Loneliness managed to infiltrate a crowd of lights and laughter. Ada, however, felt somewhat less alone after that silent conversation of understanding. Even though it was not much, it was something. And sometimes you just need one thing to begin the healing process.