Optical Illusion

Part 4

The stranger and I both staggered backwards and fell onto the cement. When I looked up I saw that it was a man, tall and built. He must have been taken completely by surprise to be knocked off his feet by some scrawny 15 year old. I also noticed he was accompanied by two other tall men. I didn't want to make trouble so I started to apologise profously and I began to help collect what the stranger had dropped. He had dropped a pocket sized drawstring bag and it's contents had scattered in all directions. I picked up one of whatever the bag was holding, but before I could help with anything else the two other men made a threatening sound and gathered up the remaining contents that had spilled, faster than I thought was possible. They helped the man who had fallen and before Icould hand back the one object I had picked up, the shuffled away quickly trying to conceal the bag as fast as possible and taking turns to eye me suspiciously. I was going to call after them but I had started to feel very intimidated by the three men. It was only after they turned the corner that I looked at what they were so hurriedly trying to protect. It was a marble. Why would men like that be so worried about a bag of marbles? Yes it was an unusually bright colour for a glass marble, but surely neon marbles weren't worth millions?
Three things were clear: The weird men had left leaving no trace, I had a new marble and I still had no idea where I was or how I was going to get back home. I continued walking up the long, empty street and realised I had no other choice but to hope that once I got to the end something would look familiar or I was screwed. I had left my dinosaur of a cellphone in my room, having not expeced that I was going to leave, so couldn't contact anyone, and I already knew had money on me. I never do.
When I in finally reached the other end of the road I looked up and down the road hopefully. It was hopeless, I couldn't recognise a single thing. But then something caught my eye. A few miles down the side walk was a buss stop, it looked different because it was one of those ones that was like a booth. Wait... why would a buss stop be put there? You never find them in this area. You always have to walk through the whole neighbourhood before you found one, and that was just a sign that you stood around to wait. If this was one of the fancier buss stops, it might just have a map. I wouldn't be able to catch the busses, not having any money, but I might find out where I was and I would get back to the home.
This new found hope pushed my tired legs to go faster than what was necessary. I knew I must get my hopes up high, because I had no idea if they actually put maps in these new booth things and also because I in wasn't the luckiest person, so if I was in a situation where luck was concerned I should just as well be looking at the buss stop to be a shelter for the night. After a few minutes of awkward power walking, I finally reached it. I stopped, took a deep pm breath and hoped with everything I had, before I looked for a map, or any indication of my location. No such luck. I was feeling hopeless, tired and hungry. I plopped down onto the Bechtel inside the booth and put my head in my hands. Would anything just go right for once? I felt as if I was going to cry, there and then, but I told myself that that was just pathetic. I managed to hold back the emotions and was about to leave when a buss pulled up right next to me. I needed to start paying attention to my surrounding because I could have sworn the street was completely empty and I couldn't hear any sign of cars.
The driver opened the door and looked at me expectantly. I remained on the sidewalk but decided to ask for directions, he must surely know where we were.

"Excuse me, but do you know where we are?" That was a stupid question. Of course he knows where he is, he's not a lunatic that got himself lost.
The driver just looked at me confused.
"I was actually wondering if you could tell me how to get to Michaels street from here." That was better.
"Oh, it's just a couple of blocks from here," he said. "It will hardly cost a few cents"
Great. Just great.
I stuck my hands in my pockets and was about to pull them out to show that I had no money, but my hand met with the marble from the weird interaction from earlier. But there was something else in my pocket. A couple of quarters. That was weird. I never had money in my pockets.
I stood there just staring at the coins in my hand. Looking back I probably looked like a complete weirdo to the bus driver. I don't know how long I stood standing there but my day dream stopped when heavy drops of water came down suddenly. Before I got completely soaked, I hurried on to the bus, dumped the coins in the bus drivers hand and trudged to the back of the completely empty bus.
On the ride home, I pretty much stared out the window, just thinking about the strange things that were happening.
"Kid, this as far as I can take you" the bus driver said. There was still a bit to go and the rain was still coming down hard, but the street looked familiar, and I knew my way back.
So I was stuck walking back to a house of people who thought I was crazy, while the rain pelted down soaking me thoroughly.