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       Having worked particularly late into the evening, I stepped outside to find that a rather thick fog had descended upon the city. The cold, moist air nipped the tip of my nose, penetrated the thick layers of my garments, and made progress a virtual impossibility. Step by cautious step, I retraced the path I had taken for so many years. Voices from within murky shadows echoed here and there, indicating the presence of others fighting their way through the damp soup, their vague forms on occasion emerging from the low cloud as they passed close by. No sooner had their images appeared and passed than the mist closed in behind, rendering them phantasmagorical shapes which may never have existed.

     At regular intervals, a dim ball of light hung overhead heralding the approach of another darkened lamppost. These almost-invisible standards whispered past, the artificial illumination unable to completely cut through the darkness. Open spaces between these shadowed sentinels became a vast arena in which the cold mists made each step uncertain. With the footfall of each shoe, with the eager advance of the opposite leg forward, with that continued rhythmic movement, the confidence as to my location eroded, my apprehension increased.

     A half-hour into my journey, as the fog began to lift and the light overhead finally found its way to the ground, I approached a street corner, actually able to make out the words ‘Elm Street’ on a sign. Puzzled, I leaned in until I could read the nameplate perpendicular to that: Harrow Street — I was well off my usual course. I turned west, following Harrow Street, determined to speed my way home to a warm meal and a well-deserved rest.

     As the path before me was now quite visible, I increased my stride. The gates and railings of unfamiliar houses passed quickly by. The chill I felt increased slightly with the clear sky, but the determined effort to reach my destination post-haste spurred my energy level, rapidly airing the dampness within my clothing. The garments became quite warm, I felt comfortable with the extended walk, and I enjoyed the brisk air.

     With congenial thoughts occupying my mind, my eye caught the flicker of an apparently malfunctioning exterior lamp over the entrance to a sizeable Victorian house.

 

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