The Long Road

7

Loki lands in Midgard in a bustling city. He quickly glances at his hands. Pale. He sighs in relief. The illusion is holding, but he is weak. He takes in his surroundings. He has come through into an alley full of rubbish. He can see the street beyond and the bright light of midday, but it does not penetrate far between the two monstrous buildings. He shrinks into the shadows and waits for nightfall.

It is only after dark that he dares to venture onto the street. He is hungry and he starts wandering, hoping to find someplace to scavenge food. He has never had to procure food this way, but he knows how to steal, having filched from the kitchens on numerous occasions. He does not want to take the risk of being found by the authorities, so he tries to pretend he belongs in this strange place.

He smells something good and follows the scent to a restaurant. He walks around the building, looking for away to sneak in. Someone dumps something into a large metal bin and when he thinksno one is watching, he creeps to it and opens the lid. Someone else joins him.

"Smells good, don't it?"

"Yes."

"Well don't just wait for the flies to get to it, take what you can."

The other person begins to dig through the rubbish for edibles and Loki watches him to learn what he can try.

"You new to this, boy?"

"Yes."

"You don't say much."

"No. There is little to say."

"You sure talk fancy, though. Must have gone to school somewhere far from here."

"Indeed."

"How'd you end up out here?"

"I made mistakes my father could not forgive."

"Ah. You have anybody back home?"

"My mother, perhaps."

"Go home, kid. The streets'll eat you." He hands Loki a few rolls and a carton of something still hot, "Here. Somebody never picked up their order. Looks pretty good. And then go find a way to live with your dad until you've got your feet under you."

"Thank you, but I do not think I can do such. He is unforgiving."

"Good luck, then. But don't stay out here if you've got another choice." He pulls his own carton from the rubbish, "Score! Another missed order. G'night, kid. I've got a feast ahead of me."

Loki parts ways with the other dumpster-diver and finds a bench in a nearby park. He eats quickly and carries the carton with him until he sees someone else putting rubbish in a smaller metal bin. He follows suit. He wanders the streets until he is too tired to take another step. He curls up in a doorway off an alley and sleeps.