Liquid Flame

The red glow from the neon sign ripples across the rain-slicked street, stretching like a liquid flame beneath the wheels of a passing streetcar. It hums softly as it takes the bend, metal grinding gently on metal, headlights cutting through the misty evening air.

Inside the car, silhouettes blur against the fogged-up windows—tired eyes, folded coats, quiet minds heading home or nowhere in particular. Outside, the city begins to quiet, trading its daytime urgency for a slower, more introspectiv