the canal in winter
the smell of bonfire hung thickly in the air like old velvet curtains. it was a cold night, like when you leave the freezer door open. the yellow diaphanous glow that flooded from windows was my only illumination, lighting the path ahead of a walk i know so well. people sitting atop their boats did not notice me. they smoked and played instruments and the aroma of piped tobacco filled my nostrils and comforted my senses.
THE LONELY WHITE WOLF 