The Idea-smithy

Her fingers paused on the edge of the key-stroke. The ceasing of the rapidfire tap-clackety-clack-tap of her keyboard sounded very loud and she glanced up guiltily to see who had noticed. No one had, apparantly, so she breathed in a slow rush of air, settling that odd fear to rest and got up.

Her heels made a clack-tappetty-clack sound on the wood-panelled floor. It made her grimace. Once again that feeling, first with sudden silence after sound and now with sudden sound after silence. One more deep breath and another thread of nervousness laid to rest. Nobody was staring at her.

The hot water whooshed out of the tea dispenser in a tremendous spray. This didn’t disturb her though. It was a diversion after all. She flicked out a tea-bag from the carton and her hand moved with an unconscious ease to the sugar can. The gleaming cubes moved through the air and dropped down into the cup with a PLOPP! It was now or never. Swiftly, in a motion that seemed to be aimed at flicking away a stray strand of hair from her face, she deposited the other cube into her mouth.

Ahh..

Sucking a sugar cube wasn’t quite like anything else. Cotton candy was so unsatisfying somehow. And sugar crystals? Nasty things, it was like eating a mouthful of crumbly rocks. No time to appreciate the flavour at all while the inside of one’s mouth felt bruised.

Her tongue caressed the succulent cube till at exactly the right point, a slight flick turned the solid into a formless mass of sweetness. She swallowed and allowed herself a smile as she walked back to her seat. The sound her heels made did not bother her as much, this time.