“Good evening,” Michael nods politely as he holds the door open for a well-dressed woman.

“Good evening,” Sam smiles faintly back. She vaguely recognizes the young man as some relative of the owner of a fourth-floor apartment. They walk to the elevator, taking care not to fall in stride beside each other, and not too close behind. A couple is already there, waiting quietly. They look down at the floor, avoiding eye contact. As he follows the other three people onto the lift, Michael fixates his attention to the carpeting, following the pattern around the four pairs of feet.

The couple gets off first, and as the door closes on their backs, Sam can hear the woman say quietly, “You see, John? No one even says anything in this stupid city.”

Sam turns to the man standing in the corner. He looks up from the floor. “Hello,” she says, offering her hand. “I’m Sam, from the fifth floor.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Sam.” He takes it. “I’m Michael, Mr. Simonson’s cousin.”

Author guidance for This story

A short story in four parts.

updated Apr 4 '11 by Lyre