Prelude 56

He arrived late to the party, just as things were really getting going: the sound system blared, people shouted, screamed and laughed, writhing rhythmically to what he presumed was music. He stood silently, alone amongst the festivities, stranger, invisible, irrelevant. He knew this would be so but he came anyway - it'll be good for you Joe had said - what did he know. He missed his solitude, his music, his books, his space. Across the room he saw a girl, standing silently, alone amongst the festivities, stranger, but not invisible, not irrelevant, at least to him. He smiled, she smiled, and the emptiness was filled.