Park
The crowd begins to thin and you burst into an open area with a little greenery — a city square of some kind that gives the semblance of community. The paving slabs are a pale cream and pruned trees are spaced at intervals, their leaves a sharp, crisp scent in the heavy air. Benches are scattered haphazardly and coated with bold graffiti with a refreshing fountain placed in the obvious centre of the square. Some young furs crowd around the edge, letting the cooling spray land on their muzzles. Checking to ensure that you are no longer being chased, you peer over the small shoulders curiously to see that they are throwing pennies into the fountain as if it is a wishing well. This world is not so different from yours then, if it is another world at all.
It seems clear by this point in the ‘game’ that you have to find this costume that the host spoke of, just so you can get away. It’s not worth being stared at like a piece of meat to defy the will of the powers that be, you think, ears drooping and a sigh fleeing your lips. Your reflection stills in the fountain, the younger furs tumbling away in a flurry of paws and squeals, revealing your delicate muzzle and finely pointed ears, now that you observe yourself more closely. Even if you look different, you know that you are still you in essence.
And you have clothes that kind of fit. Kind of. That alone is a very good thing.
Leaving the square behind, you delve into a more upscale shopping district, prices on merchandise in windows soaring beyond belief. Absently, you cast your eyes over what is on display, half-heartedly looking for this costume although you have no idea what it could be. You suppose that it will be glaringly evident as with all game show resolutions and perhaps there is even an audience watching your progress now: there could be cameras concealed anywhere.
Written by Amethyst Mare on 12 May 2013
