Roxanne took a deep breath and descended into the massive underpass. Her dyed blonde hair, with dark roots showing, was hidden beneath the hood of her black jacket. Her hands tightly gripped the phone hidden in her pocket.
She didn’t look up. She didn’t want to meet anyone’s gaze.
The underpass, once filled with shops and fast-food joints, had mostly closed down. Although people still walked through it, it had become desolate, almost eerie. The empty space, rusty pipes, and peeling plaster frightened those who passed through.
Roxanne wished she could run, but she restrained herself. She used to chat with friends down there, but even they avoided it now.
As she progressed, the black Converse sneakers she wore thudded dully on the dirty floor. Who knows when anyone last cleaned around there.
Somewhere in the underpass, music played. At first, she ignored it. She wanted nothing more than to get out. She had a meeting with a friend, and although she had more than fifteen minutes left, she didn’t want to linger.
As Roxanne moved forward, the music intensified, and she began to pay attention. She recognized the tunes. As she tried to figure out the song, she lifted her head and furrowed her brow. A moment later, she suddenly realized. It was from one of her favorite fairy tale movies.
Turning a corner, she noticed the musician standing alone in front of a grimy wall. He was a middle-aged, graying man with glasses and a stubbled face. Wearing a worn-out, red jacket and jeans, he held his violin, and its case lay on the ground in front of him.
Usually, street musicians didn’t impress Roxanne, but that day was different. The man played beautifully, something she would have never guessed just by looking at him.
Roxanne stopped at a respectful distance and watched. The fairy tale came to her mind, and it lifted her spirit. All the feelings she had when she first watched it washed over her.
The song ended. For a moment, she felt a pang of sadness. However, before reality had a chance to return, the man started playing again. The next song was from the same movie.
Roxanne quickly glanced at her watch. She still had eleven minutes before she had to be at the meeting. She had time to listen.
No one else stopped except her. Everyone hurried through the underpass just like she had earlier. People seemed not to hear the music.
Roxanne just stood there, enchanted. She even took off her hood to hear better. She no longer felt tension and nervousness. The fact that the underpass had become dreadful, desolate, and scary didn’t matter anymore. All that remained in the girl was joy and emotion.
The musician noticed Roxanne and smiled at her. When he started the next song, she hummed along. The new song was from a different, less famous fairy tale movie, but she knew it just as well as the previous one.
She still had eight minutes left.
There was nothing else but the two of them and the music. Even though people rushed by them, no one disturbed them. Some glanced at the musician, but no one stopped to listen. They didn’t experience what Roxanne did, who softly hummed as the next song ended.
Five more minutes left. The girl had to leave, although she would have listened to the musician for an hour.
She took out the coins hidden in her pocket and dropped them into the violin case in front of the man. She would have paid for a ticket to his performance, but she didn’t have more cash.
The musician smiled again and thanked her for her attention. After Roxanne left, he raised his violin and continued playing.
No one else stopped to listen.
Stella Watson
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Stella Watson author/író 