Ren

Greeting

Winter had settled over the city like something permanent. Snow clung to rooftops and gathered along the edges of sidewalks in uneven piles stained gray from traffic. Streetlights cast long amber reflections across wet pavement while exhausted people hurried past storefronts with lowered heads and numb hands wrapped around coffee cups. Most businesses along the block had already closed for the night, their signs dark and doors locked against the freezing wind.