Chapter 6: Touring the Town

Casandra left her apartment to find that old bridge once again. She knew she did not actually know how to get there since the last time she got there was a mistake. She did know that there was a tunnel that they both came out of not far from her apartment, though, so she decided to go towards it (to the best of her memory).

It was to the east, she knew that, because it was in the opposite direction of her favorite coffee shop. She wandered around near where she thought the place was, but she didn't see anything. Nothing at all, actually, except some street vendors. How could the street vendors be where there was a giant gaping cave yesterday?

She tried even searching the streets behind the shops and all she saw were alleys, laundry lines stretched between windows, and a little, 3 legged dog barking at her. There certainly weren’t any caves around here. She paused and thought. Maybe she could check her phone, since she actually bought data this time.

She went to reach for her purse, when she suddenly realized she left her purse at the apartment. Ugh, she thought, she could be such a dummy. She sprinted back to her apartment, grabbed the purse from her room, and dashed back out again. She made her way east once more and passed the shops when suddenly, she saw they were no longer there. The cave was there. She turned around to see if anyone else realized this phenomenon. Not a single person seemed at all surprised by the sudden change of scenery. Maybe she made a mistake? Maybe she just missed it the last time she came by.

She began to approach the cave cautiously, since it seemed to come out of nowhere after disappearing.

“Lakis,” she called looking around the cave entrance. She noticed that there was a fresco carved along the border of the entrance. It showed men and women dancing, playing flutes, and some odd half animal half human creatures dancing among them. It was carved of white marble and it made her feel alive when she looked at it.

“Hi.” A voice came from behind her and she spun about to find Lakis standing right before her. He looked similar to yesterday, except he had a red sash across his waist today instead of a brown one. He has the strangest sense of fashion, but nonetheless she was glad to see him.

She smiled and said, “Oh good to see you! I’ve been looking for you all morning. Did you know? This cave was so hard to find before!”

He smiled back and Casandra thought he looked a bit nicer when he smiled. He adjusted his sash and then looked back up at her. She felt like he was looking for a compliment for his sahs, but what exactly should she say? Nice costume for the Renaissance fair? She smiled and decided to be more diplomatic.

“You know, red looks good on you.” She said with some confidence. As long as he did not expect her to compliment his whole outfit choice.

He smiled even bigger and said, “oh great, I’m glad you like it. I thought I should dress nicer incase I ran into you again.”

She laughed and then covered herself, “oh well, yes of course! So, do you want to maybe hangout today?”

His eyes seemed to light up a little and he agreed. She was glad, he seemed like he’d be a great tour guide and minus the outfit, he is a cute date.

“Lead the way!” she declared, motioning to the city with her arms. He seemed confused at first, but seemed to catch the hint after a moment. He locked arms with her and with a smile beaming on his face he began to take her to the Agora, the heart of the city.

“Have you ever seen an Agora?’ he asked her as they passed through the markets. She couldn’t help but notice that some people seemed to be dressed modern, while others had on these little dresses that Lakis wore. Others even had very long cloaks on, sort of like a giant wrap around dress worn by men. She thought that was odd, since she never saw these people before.

“Hello?’ he asked her, and she snapped out of her trance. She looked back up at him, her eyes confused. He smiled back at her and decided to ask again, “have you ever seen the Agora?”

“Oh,” she exclaimed, “I am not even sure what that is, actually. I’m really not too big on history. It’s more of my dad’s forte. What is it?”

He looked thoughtful for a moment and started to answer slowly, “ it is….Well, it's the Agora. People congregate there, talk about science, philosophy, poetry, history, and all of the matters which concern them. It's also a place where folks show off some great talent, such as gymnastic feats. I think you’ll like it.”

She was not so sure. A bunch of people gathered around talking about schoolwork? She shrugged. What else was she going to do? She decided to give it a shot, what did she have to lose except the afternoon?