(eng) Martha Carr & Michael Anderle - Leira Chronicles 05 by Dealing in Magic

Author:Dealing in Magic [Magic, Dealing in]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Harvey Lansing got off the bus and made his way to work. It was the closest stop but still left him with a half a mile to trek before he could finally sit down for the day. The commute to and from was the hardest part of his day, especially by bus but his salary didn’t leave him enough for a car payment.

He kept to himself, ambling along down the pavement, used to the stares he would get from small children and the occasional adult. The old man was stooped over so low he raised his chin just to see where he was walking. His gait was slow and labored as he made his way down King Street in Alexandria, Virginia on his way to his job as an accountant in a small firm downtown. His clothes hung off him at odd angles and the features on his face didn’t seem to be in exactly the right spots.

Still, he was content with his life and even happy at times. There is goodness in everyone, he thought. Time after time he was proven right. It took time for him to get to know his coworkers but he kept saying a kind word to whoever he passed and brought muffins on Monday, remembered birthdays with a card. He even left handwritten notes on the desk of anyone he saw going above and beyond their job or just being kind back to him. His gestures eventually won everyone over. They finally were able to see him.

I will bloom where I’m planted. It was his favorite mantra and he said it over and over again, hundreds of times a day. Life is good.

He came to the top of King Street and looked down at the Potomac River in the distance, gleaming in the light. This was his favorite part of his walk. All downhill with a view of the area. He could even see the top of his office building from there.

He loved the way the sunlight shone off the surface and on some days he even caught a glimpse of rowers and their slim, fast boats darting across the water. Everyone working in harmony together. He squinted, trying to see if there was anything in the distance today.

Something tangled with his large, orthopedic shoe, tripping him as he tried to hold on to his lunchbox. Harvey tumbled, putting out his arms, throwing his weight to the side so he could land in the softer grass. He rolled to his side in time to see the teenage boys, their lips curled in disgust as they pummeled him with their fists, throwing his lunchbox toward the street.

He was more surprised than scared. He didn’t even know any of their faces.

“Freak! Even the circus didn’t want you!”

“Lawn gnome!”

Harvey looked up surprised to see if someone had actually recognized him. “Not a lawn gnome,” he managed to get out. “A royal Gnome.” But no one heard him. They weren’t listening.

He saw the swish of a black cassock in the background as he covered his head with his arms.

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