A story

For awhile when I was younger I lived at the top of a houseboat. Every day I sat on the roof and the sea surrounded me. Well really it was a city, but the street was far away. When the wind picked up making the trees all sway together I felt it was a forest first of all and the buildings would soon be eaten up.

Sometimes I imagined you lived in an apartment across from me, the nearest one at the same height. Although only a few buildings separated ours we had never met. We were afraid to lose sight of each other while we climbed down and waded through the confusion of the street, where we would meet other people. I imagined spending many hours knitting a rope bridge that I would throw to you and after you tied to your TV antenna one of us would cross, or we would meet in the middle. Although you could see me from your balcony of course, and I you from the roof, I didn't know exactly what you looked like.

Eventually I moved midship and when I came back up to visit things were different.