He laid in the corner in the hot sun, breathing hard. The sky a dark blue without a cloud to be seen.
The air humid and sticky. The beaten pavement warmed his feet through his worn out boots.
Through the alley, sharp cracks of laughter filled the air.
At the end of the street stood a short man with short curly hair staring at him aggressively.
"Come here boy" moaned a voice over his shoulder. This man was not a boy nor would he be looked upon as one.
He was a man now, he was twenty- five years old and expected to be treated his age not like a five year old.
His father could've known or at least should've known all that. He didn't put up a fuss, but instead hid behind his tall, husky father.
He crept into a door of a two story building.
Inside he set his boots down next to another dozen scattered on the floor. He pulled out a chair, then came running a tall, slender old women with sand like hair paying his father.
"Thank you, Ace" she said.
The husky man moaned. The old lady turned and hustled out the room. Derek gave a smile and turned to the window.
The city was alive and awake, overflowing his ears with music and excitement.
The streets filled with colorful festive beads and ribbon. Big parade floats wait impatiently to be ridden.
There would be singing and dancing, cakes, drinks, and sweet candies. Derek woke from his daydream and left the building.
Outside was quiet and hot; not a sound to be heard. As his eyes wandered he came upon a figure.
This was no ordinary figure, it was that man still staring at him at the end of the street.
"Boy," the man grunted. "They're watching us." Derek back up. What did he want, what was he doing was all Derek could think of.
Finally Ace came out the building.
He looked at Derek then turned to where he was looking. He saw the man at the end of the street and grunted.
He raised a hand to his chin then turned and stepped the other way, Derek following behind. Derek tried to keep up with his father but it seemed his father sped up every time Derek reached him.
They finally came upon an inn and settled down. To Derek there seemed to be no one here but then he heard voices. Voices that echoed from the kitchen.
Derek hid behind a pillar and looked to see what all the commotion was about. His eyes scanned the room until he saw not one but two people conversing amongst one another.
"You never let me go anywhere, all you do is keep me locked away in this inn and make excuses to why I can't leave."
One of the inn keepers said. " I don't let you out because its too dangerous out there, especially for you young lady." The other man grunted "Now if you're done fussing, I've got an errand to run."
The man grunted slamming his apron on the table and walked out. Derek quickly tried to hide before the man saw him but tripped over a velvet sash.
The door burst open and the man walked out but then he stopped, directing his attention to Derek which had landed face first into the hard wooden floor.
"Hello." The man said sternly. "What are you doing here?"
He hadn't yet realized that what Derek had done was something he shouldn't have done, eavesdrop. Derek quickly got up and looked at the man. "H-hello." Derek said.
"Me and my father came here to rest up a bit." Derek was afraid the man might do something to him if he found out that he eavesdropped on his conversation with his daughter.
"Well, there's a room upstairs not too big but it'll have to do." The man said. Derek nodded "Thank you." He said rushing upstairs before the man had said anything else.
He came upon many rooms and had no idea which one was his. He walked down the narrow hallway and saw an open door.
He walked towards it and pushed it open. Inside he saw his father sitting on the bed looking out the window.
Derek wondered what his father might be thinking about. His brother, Ace hadn't seen his brother since well, since they last fought.
Derek was guessing that his father might be worried about him.
How could anyone blame the man, his brother meant everything to him, even Derek missed him but Derek knew no one would miss him more than his father, not even his own mother.
