Night Above the Street

The wind off the concrete was brisk, but the hum of the compressor at my back remained steady. I turned away from the air conditioning housing toward the balcony railing. Dark metal spindles. Wide enough to step between. I gripped one cold bar with both hands, testing the anchor bolts below. Immovable. Below, a steady river of pale headlights cut along the pavement, casting brief, rhythmic flashes across the bricks. I leaned forward against the iron, tracking the pattern. Out there... the city operates on an endless, mechanical pulse. I intend to see more of it.