o - o - o - o - o
Time stopped abruptly for Madeline. Her mouth hung open in shock as she stared at Alfred. Where did he come from?!, she thought. I didn't see anyone else on the streets!
Another awkward moment passed as they continued to stare at each other. Finally, Alfred broke the silence.
"You okay, dudette?"
His question pulled Madeline from her increasingly panicked thoughts. She answered in a tone that was more doubtful than confident.
"I, um...uh...yeah! I'm fine...Totally fine...Why wouldn't I be fine..."
Madeline trailed off with an uncomfortable chuckle.
Alfred seemed to notice her uncertainty as he carefully approached her. His eyes never left Madeline's. When he stopped in front of her and the unconscious robber, an unreadable expression flashed across his face, before being replaced by a small smile.
"Sorry if I scared you, but you still haven't introduced yourself yet. It's not everyday you see someone knocking out a robber in fifteen seconds."
"You, um, you saw that…?"
"Yep. Don't worry. I would have gotten involved if things took a turn for the worse, but you looked like you could handle it."
"Oh, okay...and, my name is Madeline...Madeline Williams…"
When he heard her name, Alfred hesitated. He adopted a thinking pose before quipping, "Madeline? Madeline the Heroine. Sounds pretty cool, right?"
Despite herself, Madeline smiled. Alfred's bright grin was contagious.
"Yeah. It does sound cool."
Alfred looked appeased when he heard her reply. He crouched, asking for the duct tape Madeline still held in her hands, which she gave him. After securing the robber's legs, Alfred returned the tape to Madeline's backpack. He studied the contents of her bag interestingly.
"You're a photographer?"
"Yeah, I am."
"Cool! I'll have to check out your work sometime."
Madeline was happy to hear this. She was still slightly wary of Alfred, but as they continued to talk, she realized he wasn't such a bad guy.
As he stood up, Alfred offered his hand to Madeline. She accepted his hand, and both of them observed the scene in the alleyway: a thoroughly bound robber and his still unconscious victim.
"Well, now that that's taken care of, time to call in the po-po!"
Just as Alfred was about to retrieve his cellphone from the pocket of his jeans, Madeline stopped him.
"Wait...Alfred...Is there any chance you can leave me out of this?"
Alfred was perplexed.
"But why? Don't you want a reward for stopping the robber?"
"I don't need it...That's not why I stopped him. I did it to save that woman's life."
Alfred stared intensely at Madeline before his eyes softened. In a quiet voice, he said, "You really are a hero, aren't you?"
"Does that mean you'll do it?"
Her pleading expression caused Alfred to laugh and then ruffle her hair.
"If you keep looking at me like that, I have no choice but to!" A mischievous look appeared on Alfred's face. "You have to do something for me though!"
The momentary relief Madeline felt evaporated. Nervously, she asked Alfred what he wanted from her. Alfred grabbed a mini notepad and pen from his jacket pocket. He scribbled something on it before tearing the page and giving it to Madeline. When she glanced at the paper, she saw an address. Madeline waited for Alfred to explain himself.
"This is my home address! I want you to visit me!"
A beaming Alfred stared at an amazed Madeline.
"You...want me...to visit you?"
"Yes! I want to get to know you more, your likes and dislikes, and maybe we can even be...friends…?"
Rubbing the back of his head with one hand, he closed his eyes and smiled.
Madeline contemplated Alfred's words. I owe Alfred for keeping my involvement in this situation a secret….Besides, I wonder what his home is like?
"Okay Alfred. You win. I accept your proposal."
Alfred cheered and offered to walk with Madeline to the metro. She declined, said her goodbyes to Alfred, and left the alleyway.
o - o - o - o - o
After reuniting with Woodstock and Inkblot, Madeline got on the train and watched through the window as the surroundings blurred past her. There were a few other passengers in her compartment, but the ride to her last stop was quiet and uneventful. Madeline got off at College Park station to board the bus back to Cherry Hill Park.
During her trip back to the campground, Madeline contemplated the night's chaotic events. She couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if that robber hadn't been so easily distracted. In that scenario, Madeline could have still taken him down, but it'd be easier with Alfred's help.
Alfred. What a strange guy.
Why was he so friendly to her? He even agreed to keep their nighttime escapade under wraps. Madeline blushed faintly when she remembered what Alfred had called her: hero.
When she finally made it to her RV, Sneak, Susan, and Oggy were waiting for her. They somehow knew that Madeline had gotten herself into some kind of trouble. Sheepishly, she recounted her adventure, and endured the subsequent admonishments from her friends.
Madeline fell asleep simultaneously dreading and looking forward to the next morning.
o - o - o - o - o
In her dream, she became "Matthew" again. Never before had she met other people in her dreams, but that was about to change.
Madeline examined herself. She wore a white tunic that came down to her knees, stockings, and leather shoes. The collar of her tunic was adorned with a blue ribbon.
She was unaware of what was transpiring in her dream. Madeline had a gut feeling though that she was supposed to be meeting someone.
Her ears pricked up when she heard something running towards her. As it got closer, Madeline saw that it was a boy.
The fast pace at which he ran meant that crashing into each other was unavoidable. Madeline and the boy groaned but the boy recovered first. He helped Madeline stand up and then bombarded her with enthusiastic greetings and apologies.
"You're Matthew, right? You look just like me! Sorry for bumping into you, but let's be friends! Let's be friends!"
The boy jumped excitedly up and down. He danced around Madeline, whose head was still spinning from the fall. As her vision cleared, she saw her companion clearly for the first time.
He...looked exactly like Alfred. Albeit a younger Alfred, with no glasses. Small Alfred wore the same outfit as her, although his ribbon was red instead of blue.
Had they met before? Alfred had called her "Matthew" though. This was a mystery to ponder for when she woke up.