Order from Chaos [Mood]

The flat is full of boxes. Cartons. Piles of things waiting to be put away, at least when there's somewhere to store it all. A box in the kitchen has been broken open, so there is at least a working kettle, coffee maker, and toaster. A stop by a grocery store on the way into town has provided milk, coffee, bread, and some other bits and pieces. A pack of beer has been opened and left on a worktop, one bottle missing. Some basic toiletries - toothbrush, hairbrush, shower gel, towel - have been liberated from their cardboard prison and placed in the bathroom. There’s no bed as yet, so there will be a few nights making the most of a collapsible camp bed. That's no major hardship.

But the flat is a couple of hours and several miles behind and below. Somewhere in the hills above Golden, Alexander is walking. Heading somewhere in particular? No. Running away from something? That’s a little more complicated. But he’s here simply for the pleasure of walking. Being somewhere new. Outdoors. Enjoying being alone. Watching the sky as it changes from its vibrant blue into the yellows and golds of sunset.

Alexander stops at the top of a slope, where the rock is solid and relatively flat. He turns and sits, looking down across the city. Everything seems so small. A constellation of stars flaring to life, trapped between the mountains and the plains. Ant trails of light crawling between them, keeping the city alive and buzzing with energy.

He pulls the bottle of beer from his rucksack and pops the cap.

"To fresh starts." Alexander toasts the city, and the new beginning it has to offer. The past is another city.

Another state.

Another life.

He keeps watch as the sun slides down behind the Rockies, and the golden sunset fades away into the dark of night. He doesn’t keep track of how long he’s there for, but eventually he makes his way... home.