People Story

A man stares out the window at the bustling street below him. He sees a businessman in a suit, carrying a briefcase, perfectly fitting the conventional image of a businessman. The businessman goes around the street corner and disappears from the man’s sight.

A businessman arrives at his office where automatic doors open to allow him entry into the building. A receptionist stands behind her desk and smiles and greets the businessman with a friendly wave. The businessman, with all his self-obsession and focus on his occupation, ignores the receptionist and heads towards the lift.

A receptionist watches the automatic doors open and close continuously throughout the day, with each opening allowing a small gust of fresh air into the building which gently wafts towards her desk. A man walks towards the automatic doors, but on this occasion they do not open. The receptionist dials the maintenance team for assistance.

A maintenance man receives a phone-call about a faulty automatic door in the reception area. He tells her he is on his way and leaves his office in the direction of the lift. Eventually the lift stops at his floor and two people walk out; a businessman and a salesman. The businessman turns right, and the salesman turns left.

A salesman arrives just in time for his scheduled meeting with a representative of the company. He pitches his sale, with a façade of joy and excitement, grinning at his potential client. The client agrees to the sale and ecstatic euphoria enlightens the salesman’s day for a few minutes. He calls his wife who is at home, currently searching for a job.

A tired wife receives a call from her husband, and they make plans to immediately meet for a celebratory lunch. She leaves the house and passes a park on her way to the restaurant. She sees children playing on a slide with their parents watching nearby. Looking at the park with all its natural beauty, amidst the sounds of children screaming, she decides she wants to start a family of her own.

A young girl grips the handle of a slide as she nervously decides whether or not to go down it. She looks at her parents who give her a nod of encouragement and releases her grip. She screams with joy as she slides her way down. Upon reaching the bottom she lands in a small puddle and lets out a cry, realising she is now soaking wet. As her father rushes to her aid she looks up to see an elderly man cheerfully smile at her mishap as he walks his dog.

A grandfather walks his dog in a park. He watches people as they pass by, remembering how he used to do similar things, and compares the world now to how it used to be. In a small moment of time, he remembers everything and contemplates what is yet to come. Upon reaching a silent area of the park, he thinks of his wife who passed away several years ago.

A grandmother lies on her death bed in the hands of her husband who has never left her side. She tells him everything is going to be alright and that they have had the life some people can only dream about. She tells her husband not to cry and instead to remember all the memories they have shared together. As a doctor walks in, the wife tells her husband that she is grateful to have married.

A doctor walks into a medical room where an elderly married couple say their final goodbyes, and a teardrop falls from his eye and hits the cold, hard floor. He thinks about his age, and the fact that he has not married, or started a family, or lived the life he had envisioned. He cries because he realises he probably never will. Through his blurry vision he looks at the window where a cardinal lands, and at that moment the doctor decides that everything will probably be alright.