29

Stopping just to grab your secret chocolate-and-peanut butter donut, you duck out of the hall without talking to anyone else. Once you make it outside, you stop for a moment under the soft orange light hanging just above the doorway. Beyond the light's glow, you can see the sky has faded to black, turning the few people out on the street into little more than shadows. You're not exactly alone, but you do feel it; fortunately, you don't really mind.

You set off, back the way you came with Maxie, paying a little more attention to your surroundings now that you have the time to take them in. The stores you pass are still shut up, but you peek in through a couple of windows and wonder if one of these days you'll know them all like the back of your hand. You pass by a noticeboard that repeats a lot of the bulletins you heard in the meeting, as well as boasting a few advertisements for local clubs and services. You also learn that, in honor of the upcoming fair in the town park, the pet store (which is sponsoring the event) is cutting its prices "almost dangerously low!" You make a mental note to tell Arctus the good news as you head on your way.

You find yourself slowing down again, however, when you pass by the tall park gates just outside the center of town. The gates themselves—which spell out the name "Ambrose Park" in wrought iron letters—are locked shut, but you head up to them anyway, your curiosity piqued by the view of wide lawns and clusters of trees beyond. You notice as well that there are beds of fresh flowers on either side of the gates, all of them ready to invite you in, if only the place wasn't locked up.

But then, as you look more closely at the flowers, you notice that one clump of pale purple geraniums looks a little worse for wear. Half of the petals have fallen off and a lot of the flowers seem withered, as if they're close to dying. You feel a little sorry for them amidst so many perfect blooms.