Nine hours before she decided to die, Nora strolled aimlessly around Bedford, trying to clear her mind. The town was a bleak reminder of her past. The pebble-dashed sports centre where her late dad had watched her swim, the Mexican restaurant where she'd shared fajitas with Dan, and the hospital where her mum had received treatment all seemed to mock her.
Dan had texted her the day before.
Nora, I miss your voice. Can we talk? D x
She'd feigned being "stupidly hectic" in response, unable to bear the thought of reopening the wounds of their failed relationship. My life is chaos, he'd told her, via drunk texts, after she'd called off their wedding at the last minute.
Perhaps the universe was inherently chaotic, governed by the laws of thermodynamics. Maybe chaos was the fundamental nature of existence.
Her life was a perfect example of entropy in action. Job loss, followed by a string of unfortunate events.
As she walked, the wind whispered secrets in her ear, and the first raindrops began to fall.
She quickened her pace, heading towards the newsagent's shop for shelter, sensing that things were about to take a turn for the worse.
