I guess you could call it destiny, he thought, but, I mean, not too many of you, that word is pretty obscure.

But it was truth that had crossed his mind, one could certainly consider it destiny that he found himself lying naked in her bed. Where his clothes had gone was a mystery, but one that he paid little attention to.

The adventure of his life had begun that very morning when he had, at long last, ventured farther than usual from his homely dumpster at the southern end of Carrington Street. He had always taken a liking to that particular dumpster, with it's warm floodlights and regular supply of sausage roll pastry from the old guy and his cat who lived in number thirty-four who made it a habit to only dine on the sausage.

But this day was different. On this day, he found inside pastry-filled rubbish bag not only crust but sausage too, he knew it was time to venture forth into the world. The world of protein and of boundless possibility.

So, with a stomach full of sausage he stood and, basking in glory, set off from his encampment for what he rightly believed could well be the last time.

This lasted all of three minutes and twelve seconds, interrupted by the sound of slamming doors and locking windows.

"Children, stay inside." He heard the words called frantically from houses as he passed them. "Enough outside play for the day."

His heart began to sink. He had no problem with his appearance, he found his beard friendly, his worn-through clothes a sign of how in touch he was with the earth. But to the world he was an object to be feared, blamed and exterminated. He missed the years when his cheeks had been as soft as his heart, when the colour of his ripped and faded shirt had been as deep as the hurt he felt under the scrutiny of these people. But they would not give him the chance to show his true self to them.

The first sirens came from behind him. He ran, wove, dove, climbed and fell. Finally finding himself spread comfortably on what seemed to him to be the most heavenly sleeping surface he had ever encountered.

His clothes were gone by now but he felt no worry. He could smell the sweetest smell of strawberries, and something else, something deeper. His bare skin danced and swooned with it. He could smell steam also, it wafted in sweet cloudlets from a doorway.

This, he thought intensely, this is the smell of destiny.

And it was.