Inspiration

She sipped her coffee at a round metal table. Her colorful dress brightened the plaza as water from the fountain rose and fell behind her.

Suddenly, the air grew dense, and every word spoken by passing strangers began to float.

She set her coffee down and opened her book. The words on the pages had vanished, leaving only blank paper.

When she tried to write, the ink slid off the page like water on plastic.

Then she noticed the floating words and began to collect them. Voices gathered on the page as she reconstructed the story as faithfully as she could.

After hours of collecting, she sat back down and began to read. That was when she realized the voices were no longer many—

they were only hers, filling the pages of her old book.