Nano Prep 2015 Contest 3 - Circle Park

The man with the blue hat hesitated for but one moment and he reached Central Circle. He glanced over his shoulder down the street from where he came, then looked left and right, examining the passing traffic. Satisfied he was not followed, he walked across the street packed full with idling cars waiting their turn to unload their passengers by before stopping again outside one of the five entrances to Circle Park, the public park located in the center of the city.

People from all walks of life were streaming in and out of the Park entrance, an artificial continuance of the street he had just arrived on. Each entrance was the beginning of one of five walkways that lead into the very nexus of the park, to the Central Plaza, like the spokes of a wheel. They formed a perfectly symmetrical pattern dividing the park into five equally sized parts of a circle whereby each walkway radiated from the center of the Park all the way to the edges of the city, transitioning from foot traffic to vehicular traffic at Central Circle.

The man continued through the gate, passing through a wooded area that stretched around the whole edge of the Park, creating a natural barrier between the outside world and the refuge inside. He ignored the large lawns where people were sitting around eating their lunches, playing with their animals or just relaxing and hurried across the canal that ran a full circle around the very center of the Park. He was also not there to enjoy a leisurely paddle boat ride and had no time to stop to feed the birds that congregated in the waterways, eagerly waiting for the next group of generous children and parents to toss them bread while loudly demanding the attention of everyone that passed within hearing distance. Instead, he quickened his pace and set his sights on the benches surrounding the Central Plaza.

In itself, the Central Plaza appeared to be nothing more than a circular area for vendors to set up booths for visitors to browse for cheap jewelry, art, expensive and unhealthy food and other merchandise. A raised platform on the northern edge of the circle hinted at its secondary function as a meeting and concert venue, mostly used during evenings and weekends. This day, like many other weekdays, the Plaza was bustling with people, which created the perfect place for the man with the blue hat to become just another random person in a crowd.

The sound of vendors and customers haggling over prices and ordering refreshments increased the closer he got to the Plaza, as did the welcoming scents of the various food stands that littered the area. He slowed his stride and picked a random food vendor to quench his suddenly growing appetite. After paying what he knew was an outlandish price, he settled in on a bench with with gave him a view of two of the spokes leading into the center of the park and a clear route through the middle of the Plaza, should a hasty exit be needed through either of the the three. Then he waited.