Miss 'Stoner'.

   Whilst in town today I saw a tall blonde girl feverishly sucking on the last of a very suspicious roll-up and oh-so-earnestly explaining something to her two friends, who looked equally stoned.

   Later, sat on the bus waiting for it to leave, I saw her standing blankly on the pavement alongside, just staring at the bus as if she'd never seen one before.  It wasn't until it started to move that she suddenly realised she wanted to be on it.   Fortunately the driver saw her and waited.

   She carefully floated up the stairs to the upper deck.  A curious mixture of blithe indifference and great caution.  Probably still thinking about whether or not she wanted to catch the bus.

   Back on our estate the driver helped his wife unload the pushchair, strap his lad in, etc.  This took up several minutes.  Then he got back in his seat and started to drive away.

   At this point Blondie suddenly realised this was where she wanted to get off, played a positive carillon on the bell, and then poured herself down the stairs.  It's the only way to describe how she moved.  I've never seen anyone come down a spiraling staircase so fast without falling.  Boneless.  Then she smiled at the driver, smiled at everyone else left on the bus, stepped off, and immediately became entranced by the poster on the bus shelter.

   For all I know she may still be there, talking to the poster of Liam Neeson.

   Unless...  There's another possibility.  A short while ago there was a girl, unseen in the dark, stood outside my house singing in that flat style which you often hear when someone is wearing earphones.  Not the most exciting of serenades, melancholy with something of the night in it, and after about five minutes she wandered away down the road.  Maybe it was Miss Stoner, deciding to sing up at every lighted window in the hope that someone would recognise her and give her shelter.

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