The wooden pews were empty, and no one seemed to be inside. The interior was dark, but light streamed in from the high windows. The air was slightly cool. Anna let the door close behind her softly. For a moment, she was lost in the stillness of everything. Then she walked towards the altar, her sneakers echoing soundlessly off the cement floor. She raised her eyes, almost reluctantly, to marvel at the huge cross. Anna had never been religious; religion had no use, provided no comfort. For a heart as disillusioned as hers, there was simply no room for faith. If God existed, she reasoned, she wouldn’t be suffering right now.
However, standing there at the altar gave Anna a surreal sense of peace. The cathedral wasn’t extraordinary in any way, but it was one of the most beautiful places Anna had seen. In the cool dimness, she was wrapped in an inexplicable sense of melancholy. It was not the melancholy of the sad, depressing kind; instead, it brought her some form of calm. It was a refreshing change from the usual rocky, explosive bouts of anger and discontent she was so accustomed to.
Tentatively, she chose a place on one of the pews and seated herself. Looking up at the cross, Anna wished her life would change. Immediately after that, she chided herself for being silly. If wishes could come true, she would have been in a better situation. Smiling sarcastically at herself, she shook her head to no one in particular. Anna rose, dusted her jeans and turned to exit the cathedral.
Out of the corner of her eye, Anna thought she caught a glimpse of a shadow. She froze, and then scolded herself for letting her imagination run rampant. Hastily, she went out to the world; a world where she was used to all its violent sensations.
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