The Same Woman (15 page)

She passed Tariq, who had been biking slower than usual in case she was nervous on her first outing. She rang her bell wildly and yodelled as she flew by him and he was so relieved to see her so purely happy that he laughed out loud.

The path took them along the edge of a valley that fissured right through the middle of the city. It was coated with green at this time of year, but soon it would be turning orange and red, then grey. On
the other side of the valley the city's skyline undulated like a freak geographical formation. The lights of a thousand fluorescent-lit hallways blared at them and ignited the sky with unnatural colour.

But on this side of the chasm was mostly small houses, whose lights did not bruise the sky with nearly the same force. You could almost see what the true colour of the sky was: a deep, poignant blue. An opaque smooth blanket of cloud the texture of pearls covered two thirds of the sky and seemed to be reaching to wrap even more. And Tariq thought, in spite of all the things we have done, the world persists, it's still so achingly beautiful, even after all.

The paved path stopped abruptly, leaving them with only a dirt track that tumbled daringly down into the valley. They got off their bikes, sat on the moist grass and looked upwards, hoping for stars but satisfied by satellites.

And then with such definitiveness that her chest felt like it might cave in, Ruby knew exactly what she wanted. She wrote it in the dirt with her finger, because that seemed like the best most real place to put it:

I want a heart that's free.

Invisible Publishing is committed to working with writers who might not ordinarily be published and distributed commercially. We work exclusively with emerging and under-published authors to produce entertaining, affordable, print-based art.

We believe that books are meant to be enjoyed by everyone and that sharing our stories is important. In an effort to ensure that books never become a luxury, we do all that we can to make our books more accessible.

We are collectively organized, our production processes are transparent. At Invisible, publishers and authors recognize a commitment to one another, and to the development of communities which can sustain and encourage storytellers.

If you'd like to know more please get in touch.
[email protected]