Post by Elodie Durig on Sept 6, 2010 20:46:19 GMT
Country: Bulgaria
Area/Setting: Bulgaria’s capital city, Sofia. A disreputable area somewhere between the high-class, populated streets frequented by residents and tourists and the alleyways and abandoned buildings making up the dangerous part of the city. One is not in much danger travelling here during the day, but it would be wise to be off the street by nightfall. If one has to be out around this part of town after dark, it is best not to loiter, and to watch one’s purse carefully.
Current Time: 1707 hrs. (5:07 p.m.)
Weather Conditions: Mid-Spring. Moderately chilly and partly cloudy. Currently raining heavily.
A slate grey sky overlooked Sofia, changing what had been a beautiful sunlit city into a twilit maze. A sudden rain pounded the urban center, scattering crowds of tourists and residents alike. From above, what appeared to be hundreds of mobile mushroom caps seemed to bloom almost simultaneously, those prepared for the weather continuing about their business while between them other more quickly soaked members of the populace ran for the shelter of crowded shops or tiny canvas awnings. Under one such shelter in a part of town not often frequented by newcomers to the city stood a lone woman, her fine clothing marking her as an outsider in this somewhat rough locale.
Elodie hugged her arms to herself and watched the rain drive against the pavement near her feet. The brick building behind her still held some little heat from earlier in the day, and the young woman pressed her drenched back against it in the hopes of staving off the chill brought on by the downpour. She had of course attempted to enter the building to which this awning belonged, but was it closed, a wooden board nailed across the door. Every now and then someone would walk past, umbrella in hand, for the most part ignoring the girl trapped beneath the tiny piece of canvas by the weather. It would seem she was alone in not having foresight enough to provide her own mobile cover, a fact she was paying for now with personal discomfort. It had been so beautifully sunny earlier though; how could she have known conditions turned so quickly here at this time of year?
To compound matters, Elodie had little idea where she was in relation to the hotel in which she had rented a room earlier that day, so confusing was the architecture around her. Somewhere along the way things had stopped being familiar, and while in the sunlight that had not seemed problematic, now that the storm’s gray twilight had washed the colour from her surroundings, the girl could not help but begin to notice the general disrepair of this area. The building against which she sheltered was far from the only one which appeared permanently closed, and of those still upon the street in this weather, there were few people which seemed of a reputable nature.
Elodie regretted not buying a map during her earlier shopping ventures. When she was younger, her parents took care of all those details, leaving her free to meander about as she pleased with little fear of becoming lost. Now, she did not have the foggiest notion of what she should do. She had not realized just how difficult it could be to find one’s way in an unfamiliar city. Shifting away from her huddled position against the wall, Elodie readjusted the soft jacket her mother had given her before leaving for Bulgaria, jarring more water free in the process. The puddle around her grew larger, and she sniffled a little, miserable in the rain. Regardless of her surroundings, or perhaps more because of them, she would have to find some way back to the hotel soon lest darkness fall and she become even more disoriented than she was currently.
“Entschuldigen Sie!” She stepped to the edge of her little shelter, trying to get the attention of a man walking briskly past. He kept his eyes down and continued walking, soon becoming lost in the downpour. A plump woman in a somewhat faded blue dress and sunhat glanced in her direction momentarily before turning away and increasing her pace.
"Alles, was ich tun wollte fragen Richtungen," Elodie murmured to herself, retreating back under the awning and away from the pounding rain. She shivered a little, wishing sorely that she had brought an umbrella of her own. It had seemed silly earlier when the weather had been so nice, but now that she thought about it, it seemed everyone but her had been carrying one with them since the morning. Why in the world had she asked her parents to allow her to go on this trip by herself? A vacation to Sofia and the Balkans had seemed a wonderful idea on paper, but now that she was here all she really wanted was to be home again in the big sitting room, warming herself before the fireplace. At least then she could dream about travelling the mountains in warmth and comfort, sharing her imaginings with her parent’s little kitchen maid. In the end, she thought sadly, travelling by oneself had turned out to be a terribly lonely experience.
“Entschuldigen Sie!”
(“Excuse me!”)
"Alles, was ich tun wollte fragen Richtungen,"
(“All I wanted to do was ask directions,”)
Area/Setting: Bulgaria’s capital city, Sofia. A disreputable area somewhere between the high-class, populated streets frequented by residents and tourists and the alleyways and abandoned buildings making up the dangerous part of the city. One is not in much danger travelling here during the day, but it would be wise to be off the street by nightfall. If one has to be out around this part of town after dark, it is best not to loiter, and to watch one’s purse carefully.
Current Time: 1707 hrs. (5:07 p.m.)
Weather Conditions: Mid-Spring. Moderately chilly and partly cloudy. Currently raining heavily.
A slate grey sky overlooked Sofia, changing what had been a beautiful sunlit city into a twilit maze. A sudden rain pounded the urban center, scattering crowds of tourists and residents alike. From above, what appeared to be hundreds of mobile mushroom caps seemed to bloom almost simultaneously, those prepared for the weather continuing about their business while between them other more quickly soaked members of the populace ran for the shelter of crowded shops or tiny canvas awnings. Under one such shelter in a part of town not often frequented by newcomers to the city stood a lone woman, her fine clothing marking her as an outsider in this somewhat rough locale.
Elodie hugged her arms to herself and watched the rain drive against the pavement near her feet. The brick building behind her still held some little heat from earlier in the day, and the young woman pressed her drenched back against it in the hopes of staving off the chill brought on by the downpour. She had of course attempted to enter the building to which this awning belonged, but was it closed, a wooden board nailed across the door. Every now and then someone would walk past, umbrella in hand, for the most part ignoring the girl trapped beneath the tiny piece of canvas by the weather. It would seem she was alone in not having foresight enough to provide her own mobile cover, a fact she was paying for now with personal discomfort. It had been so beautifully sunny earlier though; how could she have known conditions turned so quickly here at this time of year?
To compound matters, Elodie had little idea where she was in relation to the hotel in which she had rented a room earlier that day, so confusing was the architecture around her. Somewhere along the way things had stopped being familiar, and while in the sunlight that had not seemed problematic, now that the storm’s gray twilight had washed the colour from her surroundings, the girl could not help but begin to notice the general disrepair of this area. The building against which she sheltered was far from the only one which appeared permanently closed, and of those still upon the street in this weather, there were few people which seemed of a reputable nature.
Elodie regretted not buying a map during her earlier shopping ventures. When she was younger, her parents took care of all those details, leaving her free to meander about as she pleased with little fear of becoming lost. Now, she did not have the foggiest notion of what she should do. She had not realized just how difficult it could be to find one’s way in an unfamiliar city. Shifting away from her huddled position against the wall, Elodie readjusted the soft jacket her mother had given her before leaving for Bulgaria, jarring more water free in the process. The puddle around her grew larger, and she sniffled a little, miserable in the rain. Regardless of her surroundings, or perhaps more because of them, she would have to find some way back to the hotel soon lest darkness fall and she become even more disoriented than she was currently.
“Entschuldigen Sie!” She stepped to the edge of her little shelter, trying to get the attention of a man walking briskly past. He kept his eyes down and continued walking, soon becoming lost in the downpour. A plump woman in a somewhat faded blue dress and sunhat glanced in her direction momentarily before turning away and increasing her pace.
"Alles, was ich tun wollte fragen Richtungen," Elodie murmured to herself, retreating back under the awning and away from the pounding rain. She shivered a little, wishing sorely that she had brought an umbrella of her own. It had seemed silly earlier when the weather had been so nice, but now that she thought about it, it seemed everyone but her had been carrying one with them since the morning. Why in the world had she asked her parents to allow her to go on this trip by herself? A vacation to Sofia and the Balkans had seemed a wonderful idea on paper, but now that she was here all she really wanted was to be home again in the big sitting room, warming herself before the fireplace. At least then she could dream about travelling the mountains in warmth and comfort, sharing her imaginings with her parent’s little kitchen maid. In the end, she thought sadly, travelling by oneself had turned out to be a terribly lonely experience.
“Entschuldigen Sie!”
(“Excuse me!”)
"Alles, was ich tun wollte fragen Richtungen,"
(“All I wanted to do was ask directions,”)