"That's him," Harrison said, gripping David's arm. "The one who robbed me of everything."
David, Harrison's friend who had known him since he was a child, burst into laughter. He supposed the years had finally caught up with Harrison - surely he was seeing things. David followed Harrison's gaze just to see a scrawny boy with unkempt hair crouching outside an abandoned building, trying to fight off the cold with a threadbare cloak.
Ever since a thief had broken into Harrison's treasury and stolen all his gold and jewels, he had become increasingly paranoid. He had fired all his servants and had even gone as far as to accuse his own grandchildren of the theft. Although it was true that the theft had robbed him of his valuables and his business was now on the verge of bankruptcy, this was taking it too far. It hadn't helped that Harrison had caught a glimpse of the robber just before he had disappeared "into thin air", as he had told the guards. David saw that Harrison's mind was clearly not what it had once been if he would accuse a feral-looking street child of robbing such a secure mansion. They couldn't even enjoy the cool air of their evening walks anymore.
"So this child is the master thief you speak of?" David said, laughing. His laughter only infuriated Harrison more. Without another word, he strode up to the boy with a smug grin on his face.
"Are you in need of spare change?" He asked, almost teasingly.
"Please, sir." The boy said softly, his face still shrouded by the hood of his cloak. "Anything will help."
David reached into his pocket to grab any spare change, and he reached down to place it in the boy's hands. He heard a cry of warning from Harrison, but he did not have time to react. The boy looked up at him, his eyes piercing and bright, as a surge of energy pushed David on to his back. Before he could catch his breath, he felt the cold metal of a blade press against his throat.
"I'll take that," the boy said, grabbing the helpless old man's coin pouch. Not even a second later, the boy ran off, seemingly disappearing into thin air.
Harrison was at David's side immediately, helping him up.
"I told you," Harrison shook his head, his voice shaking. "I told you. That thing, it must be the devil."