The Devil's Mask (2011)
“A fire also licked at itself in the grate. Perhaps as a result of these generous touches, or simply because the inn stood so near the centre of things, the place was busy despite it being as yet mid-afternoon. As well as groups of merchants and sailors scattered around the tables, a clutch of men stood before the bar. I saw muddy breeches, a pair of split-heeled boots, and a sleeve hanging ripped like a broken wing. Labourers, freed early from a job. From the sounds of their raised voices they ...had been here a while.
The sailor had to make his way through their midst to reach the bar. Yet before he’d even uttered his first ‘pardon me’, the atmosphere in the room shifted; whereas in the street outside the Negro’s size had given him a right of way, in here it drew unwanted attention. Being big makes you a milestone by which smaller – and, often, drunken – men are compelled to navigate. The broken heels belonged to a wiry fellow who wore a short beard; as the sailor attempted to sidestep him this man planted his feet wide.MoreLess
The sailor had to make his way through their midst to reach the bar. Yet before he’d even uttered his first ‘pardon me’, the atmosphere in the room shifted; whereas in the street outside the Negro’s size had given him a right of way, in here it drew unwanted attention. Being big makes you a milestone by which smaller – and, often, drunken – men are compelled to navigate. The broken heels belonged to a wiry fellow who wore a short beard; as the sailor attempted to sidestep him this man planted his feet wide.MoreLess
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