Sensory Detail: Starry Night

The only thing that interrupted the blue velvet sky of the night were the stars, so luminescent that they seemed to have glinting fingers that were reaching toward me for attention. The smell of fresh baked bread and damp earth from the unpaved streets below floated up to me on the breeze as I sat on my balcony. In the distance, I could hear the faint joyful cries and giggles of children playing by the water fountain in the center of town. The sturdy, prodigious balsam trees that framed the edges rustled lightly in the wind as if to shiver from the chill in the air, a chill that was abnormal for this time of year.

 

Unexpected Detail

The bar was dimly lit when I entered, the soft glow of the warm lights casting shadows on each of the patron’s faces as I passed by. The smell of stale cigarettes and sweat hung in the air. My favorite bartender was there, and she already had my drink waiting. I held the glass close as I walked towards the back to grab a seat – my usual spot – so I could scan the crowd. As I took my first sip, I tried to release some of the tension of the day that has settled into my muscles. That’s when I spotted a man sitting in the corner with his hood pulled up. I could just make out the tips of icy blonde hair sticking out, and even though his skin was pale I could also see a smattering of freckles across his nose. He leaned forward on the table with his arms crossed, surveying the crowd just as I had been. His posture was relaxed, and he seemed to be just any regular bar patron having a drink after a stressful day at work. But when he turned his head and looked over in my direction, the fact that his eyes glowed an eerie shade of silver put away any doubt in my mind that he was regular at all.