A Fugitive - Chapter 2

After a brief burst of speed, Ari settled into a steady pace that he could maintain the entire distance. The only sound competing with the slap of his shoes on pavement was the eerie fluttering of the flags hanging from the dingy shop fronts. Plaster peeling from the once well-kept brick exteriors, and the gray metal storm shutters pulled down and locked tight over doors and windows, gave the impression of a city with a history of better days that had been lost even to memory. The gaudy colors and frenetic motions of the flags snapping loudly in the stiff breeze marked the latest trade fair. These twice-a-year events, which were Leipzig’s chief claim to fame, brought an influx of visitors, mostly from other Iron Curtain countries. They also brought an astonishing infusion of fancy foods, from caviar to strawberries, that appeared miraculously—and briefly—in restaurants to impress exhibitors from the West with the benefits of socialism available in this “workers’ paradise.” There was still a surprising number of Western intellectuals naïve enough to be taken in by the transparent lie. Ari snorted contemptuously at the thought and slowed his pace to a normal walk until a passing car had overtaken him and sped out of sight. Then he broke into a steady run again.Our main website: www.thebereancall.orgStore: store.thebereancall.orgDownload our app: www.thebereancall.org/appIn-depth research on a variety of Bible topics: https://www.thebereancall.org/topicsSign up for our email updates: https://www.thebereancall.org/subscribe