Friday 2 March 2012

Rough Guide to Utopia 2 - Go West, old man


I opened a shuttered window to the East and looked down to a courtyard full of young people, drinking under overhanging vines in the setting sun.

Having put my shoes on, I quietly closed the door behind me and made my way downstairs past the empty desk, then turned left and entered the bar I had watched from above a few minutes before.

The young woman asked me what I wanted, and I said a 'beer', then asked her what nationality she was. She was German, she said, but had been working at the place for about a year.

"Is Yannis here?", I asked her.

"The English man with the Greek name?"

"Well, he is American, but you would not think it. He's been in England since he was about 10 years old."

"He left the day before yesterday."

"Where did he go?"

I don't know - maybe East. Yes, I think East."

"No, he would not have gone East, but thanks anyway."

I finished my beer and went back around the corner to the hotel. In this part of the country, there were only two directions - East or West. South was sea, and North was mountains.

Yannis had gone West - I knew it.

5 comments:

  1. I believe Reichenbach is very fashionable at this time of year!

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  2. I reckon he went to Wales.

    Possibly Rhyl, in November, in the rain.

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    Replies
    1. You're not thinking of Trelawnyd, are you?

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    2. You've obviously heard this story before. It was going to be a complete surprise that he ends up hiding in a damp Welsh chicken-coup, but now you've spoilt it.

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  3. Following your every word ...

    ReplyDelete