Prompt: (03) walk in empty places
It was late, and George was lost. He would have sworn earlier that day that every street was imprinted in his mind, but now he found himself wandering through alleyways that he failed to recognize. He noticed that his shadow was growing longer and realized that nightfall was coming, and quickly.
George swore with such vividness that his mother would have suffered a heart attack had she heard- foul language was only one aspect that he had picked up from thieves. George began to hurry, desperate to find his way home before dark. Not only would his mother be furious and his bottom sore if he did not return immediately, but George felt an eerie presence settling in that frightened him as the liquor began to flow profusely in the bars.
George did not get very far before the darkness came for him. As the sun slipped away, rows of shutters snapped shut, leaving him feeling very alone. He shivered. The Lower City was his realm during the day, but he had never been trapped in its clutches during night before. George's brisk walk turned to a jog, and then to a run.
Had it been daylight, George would have recognized the streets he passed through, but now he solely processed the ominous trickles of water into puddles and the slams of doors. He ran wildly, feet pounding, lungs gasping. He tried to get a hold of himself, repeating this is my city, I know my city in his mind, but to no avail. He continued to run wildly through the empty streets, running from nothing, but from everything.
As the adrenaline surged, his vision began to clear and he began to notice the landmarks of his city- the grand fountain, the pastry shops, the circus tent- and he found his way home. These surroundings calmed him and he began think clearly; this was his city. He didn't quite know his city in the dark, but he would in due time. Arriving at his home, George decided to slip through the back window, or what had previously been a window but was now a hole in the wall.
He fell into his bed, falling promptly asleep. When Eleni Cooper came into his room twenty minutes later, she was relieved to find the son that she had thought was missing. Perplexed, she decided that she must have missed him coming in.
In his sleep, George Cooper smiled, dreaming of narrow escapes to his kingdom and empty alleyways.
He was home free.