South Gate 1746

 

 

     Haste and annoyance that she felt made her almost slip again in a muddy street. The rat squeaked somewhere right when the mud from her boot flew in its direction. It had rained heavily as soon as the sun had gone down, transforming everything into grey, wet mist but stopping as quickly as it had started. The water that had so viciously run down from the rooftops was now dripping its last remnants away, adding the eerie flippity-flop sound to surrounding night. 

     Resuming her balance, she pulled her hat deeper in her face but took a quick sidestep behind the nearby house’s front column when from the building on her left the door opened with a bang.

A slit of light brightened the gloomy street and now more audible merriment from inside the building poured out to the night. 

     “Get out and stay out!” She heard a rough voice yell as the small man landed in the middle of the muddy street, followed by three men, but with their own feet.

     The drunken cry of “Tillyy! I love you!!” Left from the small man’s chest as he struggled to get up.

     “Tilly does not want you here,” The silhouette of the man from the door said “And don’t come back or she will talk to your captain about this.” With the threat, the door was slammed shut.

Startled by the words, the three men moved to their half-sitting companion. “Come on, Swift. Let’s go somewhere else.” One of them said, but Swift, who was now heading downslope of his drunken misery and denied love, threw himself backwards to the mud and wailed once again.

     “Tillyy!”

     After several seconds, the absurd scene ended in a struggle where three men finally carried cursing and biting and very muddy Swift away.

Staring at the empty street, waiting for the men’s voices to disappear, she corrected her stance to ease her throbbing side.

     Finally, when Swift’s drunken exclamations had quieted down, she stepped back to the muddy street and continued her way toward her destination without more interruptions.