Somehow, he managed to escape the crowd, the loud laughter, the weird conversations, and found himself on the road. He walked down with a backpack on his back, earphones in his ears, with the loudest music there to block the sounds of the outer world.

He walked for a while with his serious features and hidden smile, all alone scrolling the alleys with his loud music and louder dark thoughts. At the corner, of the road, he noticed a stranger glimpsing at him in the reflection of the street light. He ignored it which gave the stranger the chance to jump in and keep following.

He walked with his head down and eyes focused on his phone, the music getting louder, and his thoughts darker. While the stranger, strolled behind him, that stranger with his curly hair bouncing up and down, batting his eyelashes rhythmically, enjoying the regular sights with amusements and a big smile flashing on his face. The stranger followed him happily without his notice.

Suddenly, he stopped for a puff of a cigarette. As he sat on the sidewalk to smoke, the stranger had no time to escape, so he froze in his place. While he smoked his face was stuck down focusing on his phone and didn’t notice the stranger in front of him. Until he finished his cigarette, he threw it on the floor, and as he made sure the cigarette bud was off, he caught a glimpse of the panicky charming eyes sparkling in the dark in front of him.

“What are you looking at?”, he says as the panic flashed the stranger’s face and before the stranger had a chance to speak. He proceeded “wait you look familiar!” stepping closer to the light to see the stranger’s face “you are…” and he froze unable to continue.

“I’m you!” chokes the stranger “the happy version of you”.

“But how?” says he.

“You locked me in, but I escaped with the melodies you are listening to”, says the stranger.

He looked at his hand still holding his phone, the music is still playing, he pressed the stop button, and looked up facing the emptiness of the dark.

He took a deep breath walked few steps, his dark thoughts jumping in his head, and he pressed the play button again.

He walked back heading towards the crowd once again while the shadows of the bouncing curls stepped by his side.