Henri glanced down the alleyway before continuing on. He stuck his hands into the deep pockets of his pea coat. His black hair fell across his sunburned face; it seemed to sigh along with him.
Instead of ducking into his apartment, Henri stopped to watch Mrs. Greene feed her myriad of cats. “Here’s a pretty kitty… Oh, Henri!” She jumped. “I didn’t see you there. You scared me.” Henri tried to smile; he had never learned how to smile correctly, and the effect was quite menacing. “Yes, um, well, I must be going, Henri.”
Henri paused again before walking in. These halls had always been so familiar to him, but he didn’t know why. These walls with peeling paint, the musty carpet… He didn’t know most of the tenants- only Mrs. Greene and Mr. Johnston down the hall- but somehow, he felt they were connected somehow. He wondered what wove them together.