Stephen walked home, bent under the weight of his backpack. The sidewalk was cracked and barren, reflecting the worst parts of the area. Stephen didn’t mind though. He saw every step as an opportunity for adventure.

A grim-faced mafia don rides by in a limousine, taking note of his city. The serial killer known as the Toeless kneels in an alley, quietly listening to his inner demons rage. A gap in the hedges reveals a door way to another world. On the run, a well-dressed spy loses his grip on his briefcase. Papers fly through the air. He stuffs as many as he can into his pockets before fleeing the scene. A tearful, lost little girl can’t find her mommy- or the way home. An equally lost teenager stands nonchalantly across the street smoking with her friends. Spiders wage war on the insect world hidden under a thick bedding of ivy.

Sighing, Stephen stepped off the sidewalk and headed up the stairs toward his part of the slum. His solace is in knowing the sidewalk would always be there, with stories to tell.