Prompt - A Scavenger Hunt!
Destiny City is hosting an annual scavenger hunt during the Star Festival to encourage people to get out and explore their city. The prize for turning in a completed scavenger hunt is a coupon booklet and a few free tickets to upcoming city events. Even if you aren’t interested in the prize, the scavenger hunt is specifically designed to take you through the city to showcase a few historic buildings, some art installations, and some of the city’s greatest accomplishments. While many of the places are familiar, during your explorations you come across a building you’ve never seen before--something that feels out of time. You’ve been in the area countless times before, so how did you miss this place? When you lay eyes on the building, you feel a strange timelessness and have the distinct sensation of being a part of something bigger. Briefly, you may see flashes of some distant past--a flickering memory that you can’t quite place or fully form. It’s hard to make out, but at some point in time you have the distinct impression of a faded figure taking your hand and telling you to do something. They sound hopeful and encouraging, like they really believe in you. By the time you blink, the visions are gone, the building is gone. The only thing that remains is a beautiful little garden and a plaque so faded that you can’t make out the inscription.
At this point Regula had lost count of how many times he'd been asked where something was. City Tour Guide wasn't generally in his job description, but as he'd idled within The Square he'd been approached on more than one occasion to find some sort of statue, gallery and some fairly obscure locations that he wasn't entirely sure he knew the whereabouts of. At first the police officer had been puzzled, thoroughly confused as to why today of all days was one that involved providing more than his fair share of directions to lost children and adults alike.
It had only been when his partner had returned with lunch for them both that the mystery had been solved. Today had been the 'launch' of the scavenger hunt, it had some cute little prizes and also gave people the chance to see the city while they explored and solved their clues. He was lucky that he'd known where some of those were and with both he and his partner's curiosity piqued they had eventually managed to flag down a helpful soul who'd provided them both with cards.
A read through the cards, a few exchanged glances, and it was clear that neither of them knew the answers to all of these.
Understandably when it came to cops an their partners there was an element of competitiveness about them though and given that they did need to patrol rather than lounging on their backsides in the shade, they'd both challenged each other to a 'duel'. In short both of them were to split up and see who could reach the 'end' of this scavenger hunt first. Regula had been confident that he'd win, he was just enough of a smartass to be able to beat his buddy... Or at least he thought he had until he'd followed the direction of one helpful old man and found himself in a part of town he'd never seen before.
Now, he was almost certain he had patrolled this district more than enough to memorise what was here, but as he stood before the unusual building he could categorically say that he just did not recognise this one.
A look left, a look right, and there seemed to be nothing of immediate note that would help him to ascertain where he was. Again his mind went back to Adorea's comically spooky warning regarding the city and its 'magic'. Suffice to say that whatever the building was, it wasn't one that was outlined in his list of clues and while he would probably muse over why he'd missed it all this time, it was in his best interests to continue on. If he stayed here too long he'd lose and then he'd never live it down.
It was only as he moved though that something spun in to life.
Distant, blurred and not at all clear.
A flash of a dress, a flash of something on what he assumed was a female's head, and the faintest whisper of a touch on his hand. Though it seemed that she may have uttered something he heard nothing and only his gut seemed to imply that he had been willed to do something. No sooner had this blurred vision appeared than it had dissipated and blinked rapidly. To say his face was a kodak moment as he realised the building was gone was an understatement, instead of where he had been stood he now seemed to be in a bloody garden.
A plaque lay before him but even as he leant inspect it he could already tell it would be of no use to him. Again with the weirdness, he distinctly recalled not having this many issues during seasonal events before he'd woken up but this was absurd. He furrowed his brow hard, took one more look at the garden and then took several very deliberate strides away from the garden and back towards where he should have been. That sense of familiarity still lingered though, cradled in the pit of his stomach as he continued with his hunt. This was something he would need to revisit, this was a place he would need to come back to, but whether it would even be there when he tried to find it again was very much open to debate.
Alas, despite his best efforts the events that had taken him off the beaten trail would ultimately lead to his defeat. By the time he managed to return to the Square he'd find his partner with a smug grin and several free tickets. Sure he might get them too, but it was the principle of the thing!
Total Words: 784
