The morning had come too quickly. Life forms had finally started to appear. Birds chirped, though they couldn’t see these so-called birds; Global warming and all. Men supplying milk bottles and newspapers could be seen. Joggers and brisk walkers were rare but seen occasionally. 

“There is no serial killer after all,” he said as he observed an old man who was out for his morning walk.

“I know! I wish we could have visited the Bowl though. It has an amazing architecture,” she said.

“We have under 2 hours to finish our game. Do you still want to play?” he asked her.

“Let’s do it!” putting up her hands into fists, she exclaimed with determination.

“This is tricky. Um…Ooh I got it. What was your first impression of me? Tell me everything without any censorship.”

“Ha!” he let out a laugh and continued, “I thought you were an irritating, annoying girl who was really, really weird.”

“Weird? Why weird?” 

“You had blue hair! And the rolled-up hem of your jeans. You kept shaking the bench we sat on. You asked me if I thought you were cute!”

“I was just messing with you,” she laughed at his comments.

“I knew that! But it was so weird. I just wanted to get away from you, but it felt like I had no choice.”

“Because of the dog?” she asked.

“Because of the dog,” he agreed, and they nodded again in unison, until he said, “Your turn.”

“Okay,” she clapped her hands together as she thought back.

“I thought you were a dull, serious, uptight, introvert who didn’t know how to have fun. You were terrifyingly scared of dogs, you hated everything, and you were an absolute misfit in that platform.”

“Uptight? You thought I was uptight?” he asked her.

“You are uptight,” she shrugged her shoulders. He raised a finger to contradict, thought for a second and said, “Yeah…”

And then he added, “I also felt you had no seriousness in your life. But since you were a stranger, I thought that it's none of my business.”

As they walked, they pondered over the conversation that had just taken place between them.

To break the silence, she spoke first.

“I want to say something.” He nodded his head.

“I feel that you are suggesting that I should realize that I may have to take my life more seriously?”

He nodded at her words that started off as a sentence but ended as a question. Then he said.

“I may have to loosen up, and get my priorities straight?”

“Yes,” she replied and added, “Aand learn to have some fun once in a while.”

“Have some fun. Yes!”

Soon, they arrived at a junction.

“Left?” he asked.

“I think so,” she replied.

As they took the left and walked further, he spoke first.

“Do you want to know what I think of you now?”

“Nope,” she replied.

“Yeah. Me neither,” he said as he shook his head.

As they walked, they passed by the place where they saw the spirit. Carefully, they looked around. It obviously wasn’t scary anymore as the sun had come up and the streets looked wildly different. Without warning, she ran towards a shop. It took him a second to realize her reason for running, and he increased the speed of his steps to be by her side. Together they gazed at what the spirit was staring at, merely a few hours ago. However, they found themselves staring at a display stand for Monday Madness Offer in Jewelry.

“I’m confused,” she said after a second of silence. 

“I am not. I was right. Dead or alive, women will remain the same.” She hit his arm playfully at his comment. When he acted as if it hurt him, she pulled his arm and hurried away from there. In their hurry they failed to notice a ring that was stuck in a tiny gap, hidden from the outer world, almost invisible to the naked eye.