Emily ran very fast with a single thought in her mind – to escape. She was running away from her parents. She didn’t want to talk to them. Not now anyway. She stopped for a second to catch her breath. It was dark. The street lights have already been on, but in the dark alley she found herself now, it was almost pitch dark. She looked around. All was still. And then she heard something.

Neighing. What?! Neighing in downtown Manhattan? Impossible. Although, who knows? Everything could happen nowadays. Probably some drunk bozo having fun. She followed the sound. It grew louder and louder. She heard some noise and shouts. ‘Where is all this coming from?’ she wondered. Still following the sound she found that it was coming from the other side of a brick wall. She seemed to be in a dead end. And then she noticed something. A veil. A black veil. In the wall?! Emily’s mind raced. What the heck? Was it here just now???!!! She concluded it wasn’t. Shivers ran down her back. ‘This is not good’ she thought, ‘not good at all.’ But curiosity in a girl is a natural thing. She couldn’t help it, she went nearer the veil, hesitated a minute, then walked through.

—————

What happened next she never knew, but in an instant she found herself in another dark street, leading to a big road. It was winter. Winter. But it couldn’t be! It was supposed to be fall! Emily was cold. She was wearing jeans and a t-short and surely was not dressed properly for the weather! In an instant she saw where all the noise was coming from. It was a carriage with two horses, apparently stuck in the show, and a man swearing with all his might, trying to make the horses pull harder.

Emily walked up to the man. 

‘Excuse me, sir?’

‘To the hell with those beasts. I’m going to kill you if you don’t move, don’t you hear me?!!! Confound you, infernal creatures!!!’

‘I am sorry, sir? Sir? Could you help me, please?’

‘Ah, what?! What the… Who are you? And what are you doing here? Move away, will ya? Don’t you see I’m trying t’ make those brutes go?!’