The Man Who Stood Alone in the Crowd
This is one of the stories in my book of fictional short stories titled The Most Hilarious Thing That Ever Happened. As I mentioned in a recent video while walking through the streets of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic and where Franz Kafka lived, some of my writing was inspired by Kafka, including this story. You can purchase a copy of the book here:
There was once a man who stood by himself within a large throng of people. He was a little off to the side of the crowd, so as not to be too conspicuous — but near enough to the center that it was obvious he was in the crowd, and not at all separate from it. The crowd was nestled all around him, its gentle hum buzzing in his ears.
The crowd was all the man had ever known, and he thrived on its familiarity. Ironically, however, he was not much the talking type. He chose, as much as he could help it, not to contribute to the buzzing of the crowd he so enjoyed. He preferred simply to experience the crowd — and yet remain detached to some extent, an observer from within.
