THE DARK SIRE: ACCOLADES (Special Edition Issue, March 2021) | Page 49

It should have struck me as odd that a gentleman of his dress and caliber should be out so late at night without an escort - such as he would have been gladly mugged by the first cretin who saw him .
The stranger stepped past me without another word , continuing on his way . I stood for a moment , unsure what to think of this mysterious man who had halted my journey home . It was not unusual for visitors in town to ask for directions and I was always one willing to help if I could . But my reaction to this gentleman was bizarre . I had never had such distaste for someone after only a moment of meeting . I was quite baffled by it .
Shaking my head to clear out the strangeness , I resumed my travels homeward . The clearness of the night persisted , but the moon became hidden . It seemed to stick in my mind , like a thorn , that I could not see the man ’ s face . It was drawn in shadow when it should not have been . The street lantern had been right in front of me as I was halted , so that when I turned to face him it should have lit his features clearly , not veiled them . I pushed the thought from my mind , thinking my wits were simply playing tricks on me , as it had been a long day and I was quite tired .
I reached the lane to which I had directed the gentleman and looked along the alleyway he would have traveled had he followed my instruction . He was nowhere in sight ; but as the pub was barely half a block from the corner , the distance could have been trekked fairly quickly by a person of his height . The unexpectedly enticing idea of going down to the pub to have a glass of wine drifted into my mind , almost as if some friend had whispered the thought quietly into my ear . But it was late and I chose to continue home rather than stay out in the night any longer . So , on I walked , passing shops and stands of all descriptions , most of which were closed for the evening . Their owners gone to whatever place they could afford to call home in this cavity of a city .
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