The door creaked open, letting light to the warmth and softness in the atmosphere. In front of Percival stood a shorter woman, with long brown hair that seemed to curl around her features, she had emerald green eyes, a stubby nose and a beautiful smile plastered across her face.
The second she saw him, tears welled up in her eyes and she couldn't help but halfway close them, the light pouring out with the tears.
She broke out into an almost jog, as she wrapped her arms around him, the embrace felt as though it had been too long awaited, like a dream that had been sitting in the corner of his mind come to light. He could feel the droplets from the tears seeping through the trenchcoat, but he didn't mind, for this was a moment he'd unknowingly been wishing for.
After a minute and a half of the silent embrace, it was broken, not by Percival, and not by his mother, but by his father, who stood in the hallway just behind them.
"Percy.. is that you? My boy, I'm so sorry. It's been so long and I-I don't even know.. what to say to you" tears forming in his father's eyes now, his voice cracking, as if his emotions were grasping at his throat "we.. tried to find you, but I didn't know where you had gone. It seemed impossible"
Percival walked towards his father, with his arms open. He didn't say anything, for he didn't need to.
He accepted the warm embrace of his father, and for the first time in a long time, he felt real happiness.
Minutes turned to hours, and he felt himself truly enjoying talking with his parents again. He had only planned for a short visit, but as soon as his mother brought out the home made bread, he knew he couldn't pass it up. The bread was soft and tasted like it had been made by a professional baker, it felt like eating clouds, the way it broke apart, yet kept its shape. It had been a long time since he'd eaten something so incredible.
He had talked about everything that had gone on since he moved into his apartment. The only things he left out were the events on last night and this morning.
He glanced towards the scene infront of him once more, feeling as though something inside of him was whole again.
Although Percival had declined several times, his parents had given him enough to pay for a couple weeks rent, groceries and travel. He thanked them and headed off
Despite having been given enough to take the tram back home, he chose to walk instead.
Upon returning home, the familiar scent of mold tunnelled his nose. He took out a week's worth of rent money and placed it inside of a locked box to the left of the doorway.
The box had a slim, which looked as it had been cut out by hand, just big enough to fit the necessary amount of money.
He climbed 3 flights of stairs and arrived at the door with the number 28 nailed over the front of it.
As Percival walked through the doorway he placed his key on the hook, and took off the trenchcoat, which seemed to grasp at his shoulders, almost insisting it stayed on. He folded the coat, walked towards his desk, and placed the coat to the left of the paper; the paper still in the same spot it had been that morning, those eerie, yet now familiar words etched across the paper.
He put the note out of his mind and focused towards something else.
If I'm to meet that woman again, it needs to be when I can think clearly. I have too many questions and no answers, I need to know what she was going to say. I need to know what those dreams mean.. perhaps she'll know something about that. Although I doubt she's a fortnute teller, it just didn't seem her style. She seemed more like a mistress, someone who stood out from the crowd, yet blended in perfectly when she needed to. She seemed to move subtly but with direction and certainty. Somethings telling me that If I'm going to find her, it's going to be when she wants me to, not when i want to.
Percival leaned back, stretching his arms up as he let out half yawn, his mind started to get lighter with the increasing sleepiness that seemed to engulf him.
Finally putting his mind at ease, he laid his head on his pillow, shut his eyes, he passed out once again. The thoughts that raced across his mind paused, even if for a just a couple hours.
Waking up, he felt a lot more calm and collected, he hadn't had any nightmares this time, however he did have a dream.
Peculiarly he could only remember a single detail about the dream he'd had.
A door lead to a bar of sorts, splintered and looked as if it was falling off its hinges, it had one word tapered across the sign above the door. "Finns" Percival mumbled, it sounded recognisable, yet he hadn't remembered coming across a bar called Finns before.
Another vision?.. or just a dream perhaps. Undeniably, there is something going on.
Perhaps I'll have to do another search today; it's more likely to come up with somrthing as opposed to yesterday. This time i won't be searching for a single woman, I'm going off the name of a bar.
Percival sat up. The feeling of having just woken up consumed him. His body still light and his arm slightly numb; a cause of the way he'd slept last night.
I'll head down town first, it looked as if it wasn't the kind of place you'd find near Viewford Street, that's for sure. It looked somewhat run down, almost as if it was out of business. Something tells me that that may just be a facade. Let's hope my hunch is right. My best bet is going to be around Monads Street.
Percival walked towards the door, before turning around and wrapping his trenchcost around his shoulders, once again, the coat seemingly shaping around his build. As if it was never meant to be any other way.
He grabbed his keys and left the apartment without looking back. Only one destination crossing his mind.
Percival hadn't been towards downtown for a very long time.
He'd gotten used to the middle class area, despite living at the border of the lower class blocks.
As he steped through, the sights fell upon his eyes, causing a sense of helplessness and dread to creep through.
Homeless, beggers, and street performers lined the sidewalls of Monads Street. Trash was littered through every crack, and the sound of stray cats pouncing across the bins could be heard from a distance.
The smell of the long left open bags, halfway thrown into dumpsters, rotting food, and smog filled his lungs, it was almost unbearable.
Pervical continued down Monads Street, struggling to breath, constantly gasping for air, he felt the search would be harder than he anticipated. As he arrived at the intersection between Monads Street and Legion Avenue, he turned to the left, almost certain the building he was looking for resided down the left path. It was as if he was pulled towards it, not by a gut feeling but by something less physical.
After 10 minutes, he had reached the road which held the bars, clubs and pubs. Scanning every building as he walked down, he couldnt help but notice the half broken sign hanging from the roof of one of the run down buildings.
It looked as if it had shut down a very long time ago. Broken windows, barred doors and no lights peered through the buildings shadows. Percivals eyes locked on to the wooden sign, half dangling from the single piece of rope still holding it up.
Finns
He stepped towards the door in anticipation,nerves building up from the centre of his body.
The door to the bar creaked open, the crackling wood vibrated with every step taken.
Percival had no idea what to expect however he could sense something inside.
The inside of the bar was pitch black, the only light that could be seen, was at the bottom of a staircase to the left hand side. In the darkness, Percival could only slightly make out the shape of the bar to his right, lined with small chairs in front, and a stage to his immediate left.
Something is telling me the only way forward would be down those stairs. There's a light down there, I'm sure I'll find somebody.
The wood snapped under the weight of his foot, as he crept forward, hesitant but willingly.
Crack! Smash!
Percival spun around, heart thumping, almost splitting open his chest. Glass had been shattered across the ground around his feet.
He looked up to be greeted with a better sight then he had imagined.
On the bar lay a white cat, fur sticking out, looking soft and light. It's eyes flickered a golden yellow shine, almost emitting light from within them.
Phew. I almost died of a heart attack, I wonder what a cat is doing in this bar, it doesn't look like a stray, much cleaner than other strays.
"Pspspsps" sounds left Percivals mouth in an attempt to call the cat towards him. As scared as he was, he would never pass down the opportunities of petting a cat.
The cat creeped closer, letting out almost silent meows as it brushed its head against his hand. But the cat didn't stop there, it walked past Percival, it's tail the last thing to brush against percival. The cat made its way down the stars towards the mysterious light.
Standing back up from his crouched position, he walked over to the top of the stairs, finally ready to take the steps down.
As he reached the bottom, the cat let out another meow, this time, not so silent; it's golden yellow eyes looking towards Percival, as if asking him to open the door.
He leaned towards the door, but before he could even get a hold of the handle, the door opened.
The light from within almost blinding.