Our Lady of the Nocturne

Will you kneel before her?

Photo by Erik Torres on Unsplash

The city hummed with noise. Skyscrapers and their beacons of light stood out in the darkness. It was an ordinary night, people commuting home from work, even as shadows slipped long from every corner and alley.

But along building walls were strings of people who, once they turned away from well-lit streets, simply disappeared. Secret hideaways —…