A dickens of a morning

[Pixel]

every morning when i drop the kids at school after i've been blinded by the sunrise hitting the mirror sea, i drive home via Ovingdean wiggling my way through tiny roads dotted with cottages and horses and make my way back to the sea front, each time i spot the same young man walking on the pavement halfway between the wooden shed that sells logs and Christmas trees and the college for the blind that often has archery boards set up on it's grounds. come rain or shine he is always determinedly wearing the same black trilby hat and the same long shiny black leather coat and the same pony tail, his dark hair pulled tight at the base of his skull fully exposing his wispy sideburns. he always seemed a lonely sort, i could imagine him reaching his daily destination, whether it be college or work and setting himself down into some quiet corner, ignoring the fact that he is being ignored by his colleagues or fellow students, only speaking when his opinion is asked and then sometimes allowing himself to wax about his favourite guitar riff or computer game. he seemed so rigidly solitary every morning heading towards the sea front. until today when i turned onto the road that leads to the sea front and there he was, once more in his usual outfit and walking beside him was another young man, no hat and certainly no long hair but he too donned a long shiny black leather coat and there crawling on the right hand side of his neck was , a spiders web tattoo his dishevelled blonde hair shoved awkwardly to one side and his face contorted against the cold as he turned to listen to his hatted friend as he nattered on in amiable companionship. a Smike, if ever i saw one, to his Nicholas.   xp