The street was unusually dark.  Going back to Standard Time meant it got dark an hour earlier than usual. Mike wrapped his coat around him a bit tighter and headed out onto Queen street.  He was wearing the university jacket that he had picked up from a second hand store. Actually, he had never been to university.  This was his "hunting" outfit.  He found that girls were impressed by the jacket. Mike liked the "frosh" girls the best -- farm fresh and plenty of student loan money.

It was only nine o'clock, but the streets were already filling up with university students.  Mike laughed at the girls, dressed in only a short skirt and tank top, running from their taxi into the clubs .  I guess it beats keeping track of a coat.  It also meant that he could offer them his coat and been seen as a knight saviour.

The street lamp above him started to buzz and flicker then finally go out. Damned NB Power.  Half the lights in the street were out.   Those guys were getting lazy.  I mean, how hard is it to change a friggin' light bulb once in a while?  Maybe they were trying to save electricity. Yeah right.

The wind cut through even the heavy leather of his coat.  Leaves chased each other across the side walk making a dry raspy noise.  Above him, the leafless trees waved their branches erratically in the light of the remaining street lamps.

Mike shivered and decided to check out the action at Sweetwaters and cut into the alley heading to King street.  He had just reached the halfway point of the alley when everything went dark.  Mike could no longer see the other end.  He turned around and couldn't see where he came from. It was like he was in a big black bubble.

"Well, shit," he muttered.

While he was deciding what to do, a soft wail started up behind him. It sounded like a baby's cry, but higher and drawn out.  He turned around slowly. He could just make out a vague glowing shape in the darkness. It was definitely a woman.  Only women had curves like that.  As Mike eyes adjusted, he could make out that she was wearing a cap and had a white glowing apron on. Her clothes were like the ones from King's Landing Historical Settlement -- or maybe the jerks that gave tours around dwontown in the summer.  He was just about to shrug it off when the figure turned towards him.

The worst part was the lack of anything to focus on. The cap was now blindingly bright. And there were eyes.  Definitely eyes.  They glowed with an intense light.   But there was no body.  Just an emptiness behind the apron.  The wail increased and the figure lurched towards him. He could make out the smell of roast pork.

Mike's feet refused to move. His arms stayed glued to his sides. The only things that were working were his vocal chords -- which he used with great gusto.

The figure got to within 5 feet of Mike when it exploded brilliantly.  Mike managed to throw up his arms and cower.

After the stars stopped blinking under his eyelids, Mike opened his eyes and saw that a crowd of curious onlookers had formed around him.  He stood up, straightened his collar, and sauntered the rest of the way down the alley.