The Queen Of All Strange Things

37

If it wasn't for the homeless guy whom we ate M&Ms together with, we would never have got our way to Hephaestus's workshop.

It all started with us all cold and wet and wandering odd the streets with Cleo walking at our heels. She kept on complaining about how cold and uncomfortable it was inside the backpack, that I got really pissed off and forced her to walk.

Heaven came to our doorsteps when he caught sight of a hot dog stand. But when I about to take our cash out of my bag, this guy in a hoodie simply bombarded at us and snatched my bag away.

Then we spent the next fifteen minutes chasing after the thief only to finally find our backpack lying in an abandoned street with all of our things gone except the M&Ms and my novel.

The million dollar question was who on Earth would leave two perfect packets of chocolate pebbles after running for miles to steal it. Anyway, I thanked whoever decided our luck that the thief was lactose intolerant.

Fortunately, Andrew still had Sightless money with him, not that it was useful in the current situation.

Then Cleo started arguing on how we could have avoided being robbed if she were inside the bag. Then I reminded that she could have been severely hurt if she were in the bag. We ended our argument with a draw since it was weird to have a debate with a cat in the middle of the streets.

The night dawned slowly and the cold left from the rain was starting to soak into our bones. We took chanced to cuddle Cleo as we walked down the abandoned streets of Brixton road. People stared at us as if we escaped from a comic-con. At about nine in the night we got so cold that we stopped by a homeless guy who was warning his hands with a fire made inside a barrel.

'Come, come,' he said. 'The fire is free.'

That's when we ate our M&Ms and sent Cleo to find some mice. But Cleo didn't like mice and I wasn't sure whether chocolate was good for cats.

'It's despicable how you street the most important member of your crazy team!' she said.

'True, but we don't have anything to make it up to you,' I said.

And so she ate chocolate with us.

It seems that the homeless guy's name was Alan. He want on about how he was an artist and had an art shop in London but things got all messed up and he couldn't pay the rental of his house and then his shop and ended up on the streets.

'That's got to be tough,' said Andrew.

'Iknow,' said Allan. 'Artist don't' make out well but it's my passion all right.Oh, one day I'll have enough money to buy some spray paint and paint the mostamazing mural there ever was in London. These walls are so dull! But meanwhileI'm drawing and selling portraits in sketchpads.'

She showed us some of his sketches which were really good. I never so this many pretty people during our day's stay in London.

'So,' he said. 'What's your story? Is your cat fine eating chocolate? I think I had a piece of ham somewhere. I'm vegetarian.'

Well, at least Cleo got satisfied.

And then we sort of summarized out story.

'We are chased by our to-be evil stepdad,' I said.