“If I am correct,” he said to himself, “I should continue on down this street and then take a turn to the left”
He followed his own instruction carefully until he took the left turn. It seemed odd to him; this street was not as he had remembered during his walk. Time was passing, the sun’s gleam was barely visible and John still had not found his way back to his hotel. He was gradually becoming more and more worried for if he did not get home before dark, he would not be able to see where he was travelling and might end up completely lost. He decided to take the left turn, as planned, and hope for the best
The street was unlike any other that he had seen during his time spent walking. This was obviously the poorer area of town as it lacked any pavement, and the cobblestones replaced the smooth tarmac which John was used to walking on. There were no houses, only small, individual shops, whose owners dwelt on the top floors above their businesses. It was now six o’clock, and everything was shut down and pitch black, with a single street lamp flickering in the distance. There was fog everywhere, twisting and turning throughout the street, burrowing deep under every cobblestone and into the cracks of the dark buildings. He made for the lamp to gain a better view of his surroundings and find a possible exit back to Hotel Atlantis. On arrival though, he found only a weak light from the dying lamp.
By now John was becoming uncomfortable and found that he was sweating profusely. He decided to rest by the lamp for a moment. He mopped his brow. Suddenly, the lamp went out and his eyes were unaccustomed to the darkness. His arms reached out trying to grope something and as he swung his arms around wildly there was a loud clang. He had accidentally smashed his left arm against the cold metal lamppost and was now in excruciating pain. He grasped the lamppost with his right hand and eased himself up. The light came on again. Suddenly something caught his attention in the corner of his eye. In the far distance, he could just about make out a small figure, who seemed to be a boy, not more than seven or eight years old. He began to walk towards the child, and when he was within five metres he called out to the boy to ask his name. The boy stood silently, his eyes fixed on the strange man.
John called, gently, “What are you doing here, shouldn’t you be at home?”
There was no reply. John took one step forward. Suddenly the boy turned around and started to run. John began to walk quickly after him, the fog was unbelievably thick and he could only see a little away ahead. The boy was much further away and obviously knew the layout of the streets, so he ran without stopping. The cobblestoned road seemed to be endless and John could not remember where he had turned the corner. With relief, he realised the mist was starting to clear, almost as though it was being sucked up by an invisible vacuum. Yet, all was silent. He remained determined to find out about the child, the boy had seemed somehow familiar.
John walked tentatively forward, wary of his surroundings and of what might happen next. He stopped and looked around. There was no trace of the boy, it was as though he had disappeared from sight. John was startled by a bright light which seemed to have been switched on overhead.
“Who are you and what are you doing following my son at this hour?”
John was frightened by this loud, demanding voice only. A stout, threatening man was standing in front of him wearing loose trousers and a brightly coloured jumper. John explained the whole story. John’s own son had died three years ago on this day, in a car accident, and he was worried that this little boy might be lost and come to harm. This was why he had decided to follow the child, to make sure that he returned home safely. He did not know whether or not the man standing in the doorway believed him. His thoughts were filled with memories of his own lost child, memories that he had locked away until now. It was a relief to remember his own boy. John turned around and began to walk away still holding his injured arm.
