Midnight Bus Ride

. I slumped in a window seat on a midnight bus heading for home hundreds of miles away. As the highway snaked up a winding route along a hillside, the reading lights went out. My book back in my jacket pocket, I looked out the window, my nose nudging lightly at the glass pane. There, a starlit lake shimmered, palm trees shivered, boat lamps twinkled, bobbed on soft currents. For what seemed like eternity, I stared at that breath-taking sight, mesmerized by its mystery. Someone turned on the lights. Like burst bubbles, the lake, palm trees and boat lamps disappeared. Nothing left but my own reflection on the glass, staring quizzically back at its own reflection, me. .