I walk through a village I have never walked through to get to a friend’s house where we will have pizza and laugh at videos uploaded to the internet many years ago. I walk through this un-walked-through village so as to prevent passing a parade of people who I know are walking up my usual way at this very time. I tell myself I might as well walk through this un-walked-through village since until now it remains uncharted territory.
At the bottom of the village, I discover a koi pond. This, I tell myself, is why I came, and not because I couldn’t pass those people walking up my usual way at this very time without looking them in the eye or without laughing about how things have changed yet how happy I am.
As I exit the village, shouting. I turn around. A row of runners. Nine headlamps slink down the now-walked-through village and spirit past me. I cross back into charted territory. Safe. Tonight my feet feel fine.