The sun has set, and work is over. Everyone has gone home to be with their family. Most of the people in town have already gone to bed, but there are still some windows with lights on. Inside, the activities of night owls continue. You are taking a late night walk as you struggle to fall asleep in this new place.
It’s early Autumn. Fallen leaves have started collecting in piles against the corners of buildings, in the cracks between the cobblestones, and in the gutters alongside the curb. Tomorrow morning, the town workers will come out and rake up all the leaves that fell through the night, or they’ll cause problems.
Fallen leaves can be a nuisance. They hide trash and collect dirt. They make the streets look dirty. And if the gutters are full when it rains, the water will run into the street or even over the curb onto the sidewalk. Look at how they line the streets and sidewalks!
In this little alley, the curb is short, so the rain would easily flow and form puddles where the people walk, but since the street is slanted downhill, the water usually flows fast enough to carry the leaves down to the end of the street rather than pooling in one spot, and the water would find its way to the drain.
There isn’t much to see in this alley during the night. There are a few streetlights, one at the end of the street near the corner with its reflection in the large window tricking us into thinking there are two standing there and another hidden behind a tree on the right, casting a long shadow right at you, just in front of the fine art shop. That tree somehow wound up in the road rather than in the sidewalk as all the other trees are, but oddities like this are common in a little old town like this, especially on these little side alleys.
Speaking of oddities, have you seen the fine art shop? It’s there by the streetlight behind the tree. It has a small, rectangular, black and gold sign that says “108 Fine Art”. There’s a tiny awning to protect the people who go in and out from the rain and sun.
This little shop used to be the art studio of a very successful painter, but after his death, no one made use of it. A few years ago, a young artist decided to open a coffee shop displaying his art in this little space. Soon, a few other artists liked the idea and joined in. Now, even though it’s such a little town, visitors from around the whole valley all like to come there and talk while sipping on their favorite hot drinks. You’d never guess a tiny place like this would have anything famous.
Did you say famous? That reminds me. I have to tell you of something “infamous“. Just at the end of the street is the infamous “Hales Bar“. Look straight ahead. It’s the building with large red bricks and small windows. The owner of the bar is probably the richest man in town. He has a lot of power and influences a lot of decisions for the town, but that doesn’t mean he is popular. If you met him on the streets and said hello, he’d say something like, “I don’t have time for greeting everyone I see,” or “Hello who?” or anything else that would make you regret greeting him. Don’t believe me? Ask anyone. A lot of people have tried to be his friend and failed.
If there is one place you should avoid in this town, it’s that bar. It’s not the alcohol itself that’s the problem. It’s the other money-making schemes Mr. Hale has going on behind the curtains that you’d better stay away from. If you just avoid this one place, you’ll find that this little town is a wonderful little place.
Anyways, enjoy the rest of your late night walk around our happy streets. I won’t accompany you any farther. Just pay attention where you are going so you can find your way back to the hotel.