Her Red City (WattyAwards2013 entry- new version)

Her Red City-Chapter Two, 'Many Souls'. Part 2

As the door shut behind me I inhaled with fresh lungs, smelling church incense, horses, and that elusive dry-earth after rain scent. I walked back up the stairway towards light on lithe legs and truly looked around for the first time. The people crossing the cobbled road and entering shops seemed more monster than human, yet no one seemed revolted or awed, and they certainly didn’t give me a second glance. Horse and carriages rumbled down the street and I could see the outline of flying things against the sky. I decided to keep to the shadows for a while and hid behind a nearby wiry tree with my back to that endless red wall. A group of feline-looking creatures passed, giggling and whispering about some party, followed by something akin to a wispy, standing shadow, and a very tall old man with downy feathers instead of a beard and hair. He looked down as he went before me and gave me a pleasant smile which creased his whole face even as I hid from him, before striding on with the ease of youth. They didn’t seem so dangerous...but I couldn’t be sure that they were all harmless without further observation. I was about to kneel from my position when I  heard a rustle and something small with great weight struck my head.

‘Ugh! Hey, who did that? I heard a giggle from the branches above me and looked up, finding no one to look at. The giggle sounded again and one of the branches shifted, releasing more ammo. I bent down to pick up the object- an unripened peach- while watching the pattern of disturbance above me; I pulled back my throwing arm, slung it forward and whack- the fruit hit its target and it fell to the floor, revealing itself to be a sunset-orange squirrel with nimble hands and sharp, human features. A few passers-by had stopped to watch the event and applauded my success.

‘Watchya do that for, bub?’ said the thing, with the voice of a street urchin, as it rubbed its furry head in disgruntlement, ‘It were jus’ a little fun!’ I had leapt back in shock but knelt to try to help it.

'I'm sorry, I-' 

'Hmph!' it exclaimed before I could finish, and it scurried off without another word. I looked around blushing but the crowd had dispersed, and, finding that I  once again stood alone facing a city of strangers, worry creased my brow and I searched for a sign of where to go next. My ticket was still clutched in my left hand, so I looked for some sort of machine which would accept it.  A friendly looking woman with skin like sand sat cross-legged on a bench opposite me, knitting with what looked like energy bolts in the place of yarn. I approached her hesitantly.

'Excuse me, I'm, er...'

'A new arrival?' she finished for me, 'aye, all you 'ave to do is take that ticket there to a cab, and you'll get where you're goin'.' She removed the sticks from the fabric, and wrapped it around her neck.

'Hey, lass,' she said as I began to excuse myself, 'does this suit me?' She had tied it on as a scarf, and the crackling thing looked very out of place against her grainy flesh. She dropped a hip and pouted as if she were truly modelling it.

'Oh, I don't know...maybe a different colour?'

'You're right, o'course' she said, screwing up her eyes. I had to blink to confirm what I saw- her entire body changed to a form of blue fluid energy in seconds, and she conjured up a mirror to appraise herself.

'Much better' she mumbled. She seemed preoccupied so I started to weave through the crowd toward a parked cab, as she had called it. Upon it sat a stout little man with wide dog's eyes. He was praising the shire horse leading the carriage and tossing it the remains of a green apple. I couldn't help but stare at the creature; I'd always loved horses. 

'This your first time?' asked the driver, bringing out a fresh apple from his pocket and biting a chunk out of it.

'I guess so', I answered. 

'Oh, you guess? It's either a yes or a no, lass. We have to get you home faster if it's you're first time, see. Makes things run smoother- we don't want any new arrivals fumbling around all confused, do we?' he was spitting apple as he spoke, but he seemed nice enough.

'I've been confused since I got here!' I said, to which he shrugged.

'Well there 'as to be some mystery to it, eh?'

‘Ha, I guess!’

‘There ya go, guessing again! Get in girl- an’ there’ll be no guessing in my cab!’ I reached out to stroke the horse, then reluctantly went to climb into the carriage.

‘Eh, lass. Where’s your ticket?’ he asked over his shoulder. I held out the now crumpled piece of paper to the little man hopefully, and he turned sympathetic, wide eyes on me when he saw the mark on my hand.

'Ah, don't ye worry pet. You'll be just fine,' he said, taking the ticket, 'would ye like an apple?'.

I smiled and took it, then climbed in and settled down. The dog-eyed man called out some instruction to the horse, and we set off.