"The Man"
He stood looking down from the edge of hilltop forest. He saw the next town far below, and stood there pondering over. Some minutes passed, then he stepped forward and strolled down the winding hillside path, mind made up. The faded white painted rigidity fence by the meadow on the perimeter of the town came into view, the man short hopped over it and headed towards the viewed street on the far side of the meadow. He strolled up the dusty sidewalk, the sun setting for the day, retreating its last yellow sun rays that lay gently on the street. He stood there for a moment, admiring the spectacle, as if it were something important to him. His gaze then drifted towards a dimly light bed & breakfast a few feet away.
The vacancy word, orange lit, and matching the soft orange glow of lights penetrating out through the card like, beige curtains. He pressed the brass door bell button on the old dark cherry red brick wall, noting the few rectangle flowerpots containing poorly kept petunias that lay at the bottom of the front house wall. Weeds were winning. The small garden he came into hadn’t fared better, showing the same fate, unkempt, and forgotten for some time. A few moments, and the door inched open, an old lady in a navy blue dressing gown that looked a tad too big for her squinted at him through reading glasses, she let them drop on their cords, and scrutinized him, keeping one hand on the inside door knob, there had been a spate of robberies of late, for this town it was talked about, a town that were still considered relatively crime free in this sort of crime, “A room for one night or more?” The old lady quizzed him suspiciously in a long inquisitive tone like, not sure if he were the culprit for these recent robberies, the old spinster kept him in sights every second, on the ready for a quick slam of the door.
The man replied, “More, around 3 or 4 days perhaps” The old spinster had her lines at the ready, “Where do you come from if I may ask sir?” "From the east coast." The old lady was about to prod him further on his origins, but decided it would be too 'nosy' and thought it may well put him off in staying. The man waited for the old lady to widen the door more for him to step inside. (To be continued.)
