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A recorded reading of “Shade at Half Past Two”. If the player does not load, use the original audio source.
In the new summers the morning bus arrives before the air has cooled. The timetable still gives the same times. A woman carries a folded towel to put between her legs and the seat. By half past two the shelter's shade has slipped behind the shelter. Four people stand against the back, facing a wall they cannot see through. A fifth comes round the corner. They move without leaving the shade, shoulders turning, one bag lifted, a small geometry of elbows. The woman puts her towel on the ground for the child who cannot keep standing. The bus appears beyond the lights. Nobody steps out to wave. The driver brakes beside the empty bench and opens both doors. For a moment the five people stay pressed to the wall, waiting for the heat inside to leave.
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