Jonathan’s peaceful life is turned upside down when a stranger, wearing gloves and a mask, knocks on his door and hands him a letter detailing his girlfriend’s infidelity. Now, Jonathan faces a difficult choice—believe the stranger or the woman he’s loved for years. In the dimly lit, lonely house, Lisa sat at her favorite spot by the large window, gazing intently through her trusty telescope. The room around her was quiet, filled only with the faint hum of the refrigerator and the soft creak of the old wooden floor.
For Lisa, this was the only connection she had to the outside world. Years ago, agoraphobia had crept into her life, slowly consuming her ability to leave her home. Now, the thought of stepping beyond her front door filled her with terror. The world outside was vast, unpredictable, and dangerous. So, she stayed inside, where everything was familiar and safe. Groceries were delivered to her doorstep, and whatever else she needed could be ordered online.
But that wasn’t enough to fill the emptiness. What filled her days now was the lives of others—people she had never met but felt intimately close to, thanks to her telescope. Near the telescope, Lisa kept a small, worn diary. Its pages were filled with notes about the people she watched from her window, the strangers who unknowingly became the characters in her imagined stories. She didn’t know their real names, so she made them up. These people became her companions in her isolation, the stars of her lonely theater.
Every evening, Lisa began her routine by focusing her telescope on one particular apartment across the street. It belonged to a man she called Josh. She had learned a lot about him through the little details she observed: his love for basketball, his collection of jerseys that adorned the walls of his living room. Sometimes, when he cheered or jumped off the couch, she smiled as if they were watching the game together. After spending time with Josh, Lisa would turn her telescope to another apartment, this one belonging to an elderly man she called George.
Every day at the same time, George would sit down at his piano, his wrinkled hands poised over the keys. Lisa couldn’t hear the music, but she imagined it in her head. In her mind, George played beautiful, soothing melodies that filled his apartment with warmth. She imagined him lost in the music, perhaps remembering days gone by. And then there was her favorite couple—Hans and Joan. At least, that’s what she named them. Lisa had watched them the longest.
Hans, the tall, organized man who always cooked dinner, was the one who fascinated her the most. From her vantage point, she could see the way he meticulously prepared meals, everything in its place, the kitchen spotless. She’d close her eyes and imagine the rich smells of the food he made, imagining herself in that kitchen, tasting the delicious meals.
