Girl behind the empire

Lucy’s POV It was a crisp brown autumn evening in Paris. It felt nice finally getting to savor the evening. But I started feeling a bit nervous. This place feels so wrong. The streets kept getting lonelier and lonelier and began to look entirely different from the Paris I have been staying in for over a month. I felt lost, then remembered I could use my phone to locate my way back home. I tried to open my small brown purse when a loud laugh came from behind. I jerked immediately. This place was too lonely for a man to be behind me. Loud laughs followed by French jokes I couldn’t understand. Upon turning back to see what was happening, I saw three men walking towards me from a distance. For no definite reason, my gut clenched. “Was I being followed?” I thought to myself and started walking a little bit faster than I was. The entire street was empty. All I could hear were the sounds of vehicles far ahead and the disturbing sounds those French men were making behind me. The laughter kept getting louder and closer. It was already too late when I realized I was already running while breathing heavily, like I was actually being chased by someone. This made the men laugh even louder, like I became the new reason for their laughter. Still running, I sighted a small building. Written on it was “Ouvert.” I had no idea about its meaning, but I was sure that was a shop. That sign was always on shops around. I quickly pushed the shop door open and entered without even looking at what was being sold in it. Breathing heavily, a feeling of relief overwhelmed me. Standing there, through the transparent glass door, I watched them walk past by. I could finally breathe without hesitation. Staying still, hearing the laughs fade away into the distance, a sharp exhale so loud that it echoed across the store was released from my lungs. It was then I turned back and saw it was an empty bookstore. An elderly woman at its other end stood still, staring at me like I was some ghost. The air got cold. I felt so embarrassed as an awkward smile slowly encroached all over my face. But she still stood there like a statue without even blinking her eyes, still staring at me. “Hello,” with a shaky voice, I said while slowly opening the door and stepping out. As expected, she still didn’t reply. She probably didn’t understand the English language, just like everyone else did. This was the major problem I encountered ever since arriving in Paris. Upon getting outside, it was then I noticed how breezy the weather was. “Uhhhh,” I groaned in relief. After taking a few steps ahead, my phone suddenly buzzed in my purse. Trying to take it out, I felt a push from behind, which instantly shoved her to the building window beside her. Trying to regain balance, I realized my purse was gone. It was at that moment it dawned on me that I had been robbed. “Hey!” I screamed at the top of my voice, sprinting towards the stranger with my purse. He was wearing black clothes from head to toe. That was the only detail I could pick about this person. It seemed impossible to catch up, as the thief was just too fast for me. In an instant, I gave up and knelt on the floor, totally confused. Watching the thief disappear out of my sight. An unclear image of the thief on the floor flashed in my eyes. “What just happened?” I thought to myself. It all happened within a wink. My eyes, already soaked with tears, made the image more unclear as I rushed to wipe my tears with the back of my palm. There was another man in the picture. I watched the thief stand up again and run even faster than he did earlier, like he had seen something too scary only he could see. Cleaning my eyes again while gradually standing to my feet, the “hero,” whose face wasn’t yet visible, bent down, picked up the purse which had fallen to the ground, and started walking towards me. There was another man behind him. It seemed like they were together. Although in a dire situation, I instantly became distracted and was stunned by the elegance of this man. “How can someone look so astonishing?” I kept thinking. The air suddenly became cold. Time became slow. The silence became too loud. There I was, standing still like I had seen a ghost. It all felt like a movie scene. They both walked calmly and in sync towards me. Even without seeing their faces, I was already stunned and started feeling nervous that I didn’t notice they had walked up to me already. The man in the front caught my attention. He was so tall. I slowly glanced my way up from his chest up to his face, still in complete silence. Without a single emotion showing in his cold, dark eyes, with an accent I couldn’t recognize, he calmly said, “Be careful around here,” and handed the purse to me. A few seconds of silence had passed, and I was still standing there. It felt like I had been in a deep sleep and had just woken up. Turning back, I realized they had left a long time ago and weren’t visible anymore. Then I realized they had been gone already for a long time, disappearing without a trace. A sweet feeling followed by regret hit me. At least, I should have said thank you to them. Three scary experiences on one street were just too much for me to believe. Three scary men walking towards my direction, a creepy-looking old woman that didn’t even utter a single word but kept on staring at me, a stolen purse, and a rescue. All within one day, on one street. “What a day!”