Anna: A Narrative Palindrome

Prompt: Write a narrative palindrome; a story that flows the same whether read first paragraph to last or last paragraph to first.

She walked out of the house and into the city laying down to sleep under a midnight moon.

She had passed by these streets several times before, and they brought her nothing but pain.

Tonight, however, it all changed.

Tears fell from her eyes as she finally reached the door. Her keys jangled as a cold wind blew across her freezing form. She opened it and was caught between the outdoor and the indoor, a purgatory she had long since been accustomed to.

Soft music was heard coming from the second floor. She also heard footsteps, hushed conversations, and the strong voice of the man she once loved.

She quietly moved to the stairs, wrapping her coat closer to her figure.

A voice came from the room full of people. “Anna? Is that you?”

She pushed the door open, cocked the gun, and coolly let out 6 shots, one for each person who took him away from her. She then shot her sister twice. The backstabbing thief.

She heard a voice call out to her from the room.

She walked to the stairs, hugging herself for warmth.

The second floor echoed of footsteps and voices. The record player was playing in the background. She thought of the man she once loved; she knew he was in the room upstairs.

She was crying as she reached the door. She shivered from the blast of cold as she brought out her keys out of force of habit. When she opened it, she stood still for a while, caught between moving forward and letting go, a purgatory she had long since been accustomed to.

But everything changed tonight.

She looked toward the quiet streets that reminded her of her pain every time she passed through them.

She walked out of the house and into the city laying down to sleep under a midnight moon.

–
Image source: deviantart.com/archongx/art/timeless-traffic-205212646
First written September 23, 2017.
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