Random Passage #001

   Neon lights flickered wildly, turning the chipped brick walls into a colorful canvas. Smoke drifted by and
the musky smell of it made the tiny hairs in Lucinda's nose stand on end. She attempted to hold back a sneeze and failed. ACHOO!


   Her younger brother clung to her arm, his fingernails leaving deep indentations in her brown skin. The sharp pain made her want to scold him; tell him to release her, but when she looked at his chubby face, his eyes were wide and he was sucking the skin of his lip with intensity. She felt ashamed that she had almost taken away his one comfort at this moment. She wouldn't take it away, even if she lost hers in the process.

   They were waiting for someone; someone that they had not seen in a long time. In three minutes, it would be an hour past the agreed upon meeting time, if Lucinda's watch was correct, and she wasn't entirely sure that it was.

   The smoke began to settle into a fog that enshrouded the two children, and Lucinda cut her eyes to the source of it, a heavily clothed figure that had been sitting next to them for the past half hour. Lucinda assumed the figure was a male,but it was difficult to tell, because the person's face was hidden underneath a red plaid scarf, broad sunglasses, and a tight knit cap, not a hair to be seen. The rest of the body was a mystery as well, covered in many layers of clothing, and topped off with a long, faded black coat and filthy combat boots.

   Every few minutes, a gloved hand would lift a sweet yet earthy smelling cigar and insert it into a hole in the scarf, at the exact spot where the person's mouth would be, and a billowing white cloud would come out of the hole and float toward them.

   "Lucy, can we move to another spot?" Her brother looked up at her, muffling a cough with his fist.

    "Sorry, Ray, he specifically said to meet him right here, on this exact bench. You'd hate to miss him, wouldn't you?" She whispered,  trying not to draw their bench mate's attention.

   "He's not coming, it's already been an hour! He would've been here by now." Ray hung his head in disappointment. Lucinda could see his eyes watering up with tears, though he tried to hide them.

   She reached forward and plucked two small white pieces of fluff from Ray's coarse black hair.

   "He will come," she said with a stoic certainty. In truth, she did not think he would come either, but she didn't want to admit it.

   Goosebumps began dotting her skin as the air grew colder. She had put on her favorite lilac shawl when they had crept out of the house that evening, but she had handed over to Ray when she noticed him shivering. Granny always commented on how Ray was too thin, and while she usually argued with the old woman, she agreed with her on this.

   Her thoughts were interrupted when the pile of clothes next to them spoke up.

   "Excuse me, m'am, but did I hear that little boy call you "Lucy"?" The voice was deep and raspy.

   So it is male...Lucy thought. "Yeah, that's my name, so what?" She snapped at the stranger.

   The man shuffled closer. "I'm sorry I made you wait so long," he whispered, "I had to make sure it was really you." He unwrapped the scarf and took off the glasses, only for a second, but it was long enough to make Lucy's heart pound.

   "Philip!"

   "Shhhh..." Philip held up a finger, "I can't speak to you for long, I only wanted to see you for a moment. Is this Ray?" The young man looked down at the scared little boy peering from behind his sister's arm, which he still had a tight hold on. Lucy noticed how bloodshot and tired her older cousin's eyes were, not the eyes of the Philip she used to know.

   "Yes," she nodded, unsure of what she wanted to say. She had thought about it numerous times after receiving Philip's letter, asking her to meet him here, but she somehow found herself speechless.

   "It's nice to finally meet you," he addressed the boy,then turned back to Lucinda, "and you, I have something to give you." He handed her a faded yellow envelope. A car horn honked in the distance, and Philip's head jerked to attention. "I have to go now," he whispered, "keep that letter safe."

   Before she had a chance to respond, Philip was swiftly making his way down the sidewalk.