Rain smacked down hard on my umbrella, rushing off both sides as I hurry down the crowded street. “Damnit” I thought to myself as I came to a halt behind a crowd at another crosswalk. I focused at the red glowing hand symbol across Doyers Street waiting for the light to change, I feel someone staring at me, following me with their eyes. I get that feeling a lot, there are so many people in New York City that how could there not be someone looking at you.

Maybe, I am just always paranoid but that comes with the territory, in my line of work you can never be too careful. I glanced down at my briefcase to make sure that its not getting soaked, as a loud crack of thunder broke up the honking car horns. “Fuck this,” I whispered out loud and turned into a small restaurant with a bright white and red signs that reads; Noodle Village with chinese characters running up and down the tall sign.

I shut my umbrella as I ducked through the door, a bell rang causing the bartender to lift his head from his phone. The only other person in the whole restaurant was an old man at the far end of the bar, staring into his beer. I took a seat at the opposite end with my back to the door and ordered a beer. If I sit here long enough maybe the storm will pass and I can get to the randevu point and hand off this stupid artifact.

I am not in the business of stealing things, but I am in the business of transporting stolen goods. This one has been especially hard to transport but I had already made it across the world with it, what was another couple of blocks. I have been afraid to open the briefcase because of the legends that surround the item, they call; the Exquisite Pagoda. I looked down again to make sure the briefcase was still safely between my legs.

When I looked back up at my beer, I jumped in my seat . The old man at the other end of the bar was sitting right next to me. Still with his head down.

“You should not be here and nor should that item.” The old man growled as he lifted his head. I could see that his eyes were solid milky blue, his face was pale and his skin was stretched so tightly over his bones, it looked more like a skull than a face.

“Leave me alone old man,” I said as I stood up, grabbed my briefcase, threw a few dollars on the bar and headed for the door.

“If the Exquisite Pagoda were to fall into the wrong hands, you will be doomed.” The old man shouted after me.

I turned back in shock; “how did he know I had the Exquisite Pagoda, how had he snuck up on me?” I asked myself. As I turned back around, I was shocked all the bar stools were empty. The bartender looked at me strangely.

“You aren’t going to finish your beer? You haven’t even had a sip.” The bartender called, as I opened my umbrella and rushed back to the busy street.

That was it, I was starting to crack, I had to get rid of this artifact. I had heard tales as a kid that the Exquisite Pagoda would play tricks on the person who possessed it, unless the person who held it understood how to harnish its true powers; the powers to imprison any living being. Some say that even one look from the wrong person can cast them into imprisonment in another world. The world of forever.

My head began to pound as I picked up my pace. I bumped into a younger woman with her little girl huddled under their Hello Kitty umbrella.

“Sorry, so sorry,” I whimpered.

“The Exquisite Pagoda must be returned,” the little girl shouted at me. I didn’t turn back to see if I was imagining it. Instead I broke out into a full on sprint to the meeting spot. Another crack of thunder scared me into dropping my umbrella, which had become more of a parachute, slowing down my run.

I was soaked at this point, it didn’t matter anymore, I just needed to make this delivery. I finally reached the alley that led to the warehouse, I slowed my pace and caught my breath. I had to act cool, or else my clients might think I was being followed.

As I walked past a dumpster a homeless man with no shirt on jumped out and grabbed the briefcase and tried to take off. I yelled and pulled with all of my might in the opposite direction, causing the case to fall open, spilling out the bag that contained the Exquisite Pagoda.

The homeless man darted for the bag and opened it, holding it away from his eyes he pointed it at me.

I didn’t have time to react, I looked right into it and a large flash of light made me shut my eyes. I was blinded, fumbling around, I grabbed the wall to keep from falling. I had to get the Exquisite Pagoda back.

“You should have never taken the Exquisite Pagoda, you shall now be imprisoned in the world of forever.” The homeless man’s voice boomed like a thunder clap.

I rubbed my eyes frantically hoping I would be able to see again. Slowly my vision had returned, I realized that I was still in the same alley, that myths must not be true. “I need to hurry” I thought to myself and I tore down the alley hoping to catch the homeless man.

As I reached Doyers Street, I looked both ways to see where the man had run off to. All I could see was a street full of hundreds of black umbrellas.

“Shit” I swore to myself as I went left and pushed through the crowd of people. I bumped into everyone as I fought my way through the stream of people. They seemed to be pushing me back, fighting me from going further up the street. As I pushed past another set of people I realized they were not people, they were demons, each identical, holding their black umbrellas. Their eyes, blue and empty, each one with the same smirk on their face.

“Welcome” they all said in unison “To the World of Forever.”