welcome to redwood, Arthur. | open starter
@happieststarters
It seemed that Arthur couldn’t have chosen a worse night to arrive in town than that Halloween evening. The streets were slick with rain, the air thick with fog that rolled in from the nearby marshes, and the few lamps that still burned flickered like tired eyes in the darkness. He had no place to stay, no friends to call on, and as the storm gathered its strength, thunder cracking like the laughter of unseen spirits, he realized how truly alone he was.
Luck, however, has a strange sense of humor. As he wandered through the crooked iron gates of the town cemetery, seeking any sort of refuge, he spotted a faint light glowing from a small stone chapel at the far end. The door creaked open at his touch, and though the air inside was cold and heavy with the scent of damp earth and old flowers, it was shelter all the same.
He curled up on one of the pews, his soaked coat pulled tight around him, listening to the rain lash against the stained glass. Somewhere outside, the wind whispered through the gravestones, carrying with it the low hum of voices that might have been nothing more than the storm—or something else entirely. Exhausted, Arthur drifted off to sleep among the resting dead.
When morning came, the storm had passed. The sky was a pale, washed-out gray, and the sun peered weakly through the mist. Arthur blinked awake, stiff and sore, realizing where he was. Out of a quiet sense of respect—or perhaps guilt—he muttered a small prayer to the souls around him before stepping back out into the waking town.
By midmorning, he found himself on the main street, the cobblestones still glistening from the night’s rain. People moved about their day—some chatting quietly, others hurrying past with baskets or tools in hand. Arthur stopped the first person who met his gaze, someone bundled in a heavy coat and scarf, their face half-hidden by the lingering fog.
“Excuse me,” he said, his voice tentative, “would you happen to know if anyone’s looking for a roommate? I’m in need of a place to stay, and I’m not sure I can afford the fancy hotel up in Redwood…”
